international politics Archives | Research & Innovation

Professor Jennifer Hyndman: Humanitarian aid can fuel a war if not done carefully

fmaquito — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ sociology and geography Professor Jennifer Hyndman knows a little about disasters. She also knows a benign water project run by humanitarian aid agencies can fuel a war if careful attention is not paid to the political and cultural landscape.

Hyndman was in Sri Lanka within months of the 2004 tsunami. She saw first-hand not only the devastation wrought by the tsunami, but the complications of delivering humanitarian aid in areas of Sri Lanka and Indonesia that were already conflict-riddled and impoverished. She also witnessed how the natural and man-made disasters intersected to change the political dynamics of both countries – a peace accord in Indonesia and the end of war in Sri Lanka between the government and the Tamils.

Her experiences led to the recently released book, and companion videos by Hyndman and geographer and humanitarian aid worker Arno Waizenegger, and . To watch the first video, enter the password, "Lhokse". Waizenegger also co-wrote one of the book's chapters with Hyndman.

The earthquake-triggered tsunami is estimated to have killed or displaced more than one million people – three women for every man – and billions in donations flowed in for relief efforts. Dual Disasters addresses pre- and post-humanitarian aid concerns and offers suggestions that are still relevant today.

“I examine two war zones that were then hit by the 2004 tsunami and trace how the conflict and the environmental disaster shaped one another in terms of outcomes,” says Hyndman of 91��ɫ's Department of Social Sciences in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, who has studied humanitarian emergencies, conflict-related human disaster and displacement for more than a decade. For the book, she focused specifically on Sri Lanka and Aceh, Indonesia.

Left: Jennifer Hyndman

The book examines the inequitable delivery of humanitarian aid, but also looks at how the cultural and political situation in both countries played into that. If more aid was given to the coastal areas of Sri Lanka, because of their tourist appeal, than to the people in the hinterland, who are hardest hit by war, that imbalance created a “potential and real threat to peace.” Similarly in Aceh, Indonesia, international tsunami aid was earmarked exclusively for tsunami survivors and not for civilians who had lost their homes and livelihoods in the decades old conflict. This became the cause of tensions and threats recorded in the book by Hyndman and her research assistants.

The problem was that aid agencies had little latitude to spend donated money. As it's often designated for specific things, some agencies collected more money than they could ethically spend, she says. That led to the hiring of sub-contractors who not only didn’t necessarily do the best job, but it also made it more difficult to monitor the funds. This could be remedied if donors gave aid agencies more leverage to spend their donations where needed, says Hyndman, associate director of the .

In addition, aid workers can unintentionally become wrapped up in the politics. “You need to pay very close attention to the political climate, otherwise you can become a political player in what you think is a humanitarian operation.” That can play out in as simple an act as talking to people living on one side of a road. What the aid workers may not realize is that the people on one side of the road are enemies with those on the opposite side, and the workers are seen as allies to one side only. “The unintended result is that humanitarian aid can actually fuel a conflict or create tensions."

Or, as in the case of the water pumps, what seemed like an easy and fast solution – provide villages with water pumps so they no longer had to dig wells – turned out to be not so simple in an area of Sri Lanka where tensions were already high between various factions. Bringing in water pumps heightened conflicting interests, instead of making life easier. “So unintentionally, a benign water project can fuel a war.”

It is just as important for aid workers to be aware of a country's cultural practices. One aid agency built much-needed, but culturally inappropriate housing. The new houses only had one room, when two were required to keep the women separate from the men. Hyndman says many of these issues could be avoided by providing regional cultural and political sensitivity orientation and training to humanitarian aid workers.

Competition between aid agencies for donor dollars was another issue raised by the book, but it has, at least in Canada, been addressed to some extent. Care Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Quebec and Save the Children formed a coalition after the 2004 tsunami to work together.

“It’s an excellent step in the right direction,” says Hyndman.

For more information, visit the .

By Sandra McLean, YFile writer

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Professor and CRC Leo Panitch on renewed interest in Karl Marx

fmaquito — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:00:00 +0000

With the West suffering from the after-effects of the financial crisis and revolution in the air in parts of the world, could it possibly be springtime for Marx? wrote :

"I'm optimistic about the explosion that's happened in Wisconsin," says Leo Panitch, a political science professor at 91��ɫ [Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies]. "For the first time in a long time, the Canadian left is looking south, rather than the other way."

But he's loath to make too many claims for a new dawn rising: "The craziness and mindlessness of so much of what is going on in the American right may – and I'm very cautious about this – it may lead to the same kind of sensibilities that produced a radical new left in the sixties."

Says Panitch, "It's much more complicated now. It's not easy to organize these days when you don't have masses of workers brought together in a big factory and they aren't living in the same part of the city. A lot of people now who are exploited and poorly paid are working in funky areas like producing software or advertising."

Two years ago, he wrote a piece for Foreign Policy magazine titled “Thoroughly Modern Marx” about how the post-crash world might possibly (though by no means inevitably) see a rebirth in radical thinking. That, of course, has not happened – in fact, the political left has suffered setbacks and since 2008, centre-right parties have gained power in Europe.

Panitch is the Canada Research Chair in Comparative Political Economy and a Distinguished Research Professor of Political Science.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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International trade minister speaks at 91��ɫ about opportunities in Asia-Pacific

fmaquito — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Peter Van Loan, the federal minister of international trade, delivered the keynote address at a recent breakfast workshop and panel discussion of business leaders and advisers at 91��ɫ.

Right: Peter Van Loan speaking at 91��ɫ

Van Loan talked about “Canadian Opportunities in Asia-Pacific” at the event, which was co-hosted by and 91��ɫ’s Office of the Associate Vice-President International.

"Minister Van Loan delivered a very encouraging message on how much Canada is doing to promote free and open trade, and the importance we are once again attaching to the Asia-Pacific region," said Lorna Wright, 91��ɫ’s associate vice-president international. "The panelists were able to offer the seminar participants advice from their own experiences of operating successfully in Asia-Pacific.

"One striking piece of information that many may not have thought about was given by Jill Anderson, president and CEO of Aecometric Corporation, a leading company in industrial combustion equipment," noted Wright. "She said that China is now a great starting point for moving into African and Middle Eastern markets.”

Left: President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri (left), Peter Van Loan and Dezsö Horváth, dean of the Schulich School of Business

Workshops such as these help Canada prepare for the November meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group in Yokohama, Japan, said Van Loan. “APEC meetings aim to strengthen trade and investment cooperation in the region. We have strong ties across the Pacific, and we want to increase opportunities for Canadian businesses in this highly dynamic region.”

The successful event was part of 91��ɫ’s continuing initiative to boost internationalization and awareness of international opportunities in business as well as research.

“Our University has built a strong reputation, both here and abroad, for the quality of our academic programs, for the calibre of our graduating students and for our outreach to and research partnerships with the business community,” said 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. "This success is evident with our more than 240,000 alumni worldwide, many located in the APEC region, who are making significant contributions in this increasingly interconnected world.”

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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Professor Lesley Wood: When do protests become too theatrical?

fmaquito — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Protesters are turning to theatrical tactics like papier-mâché bobble-head costumes, human oil slicks, rebel clowns, samba bands and floats to demonstrate against the G20 summit meetings, reported The Globe and Mail June 25:

, a sociology professor in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies who specializes in social movements, says dissent has trended toward creativity and away from aggression in recent years, a phenomenon she attributes to heightened security measures in the past decade.

"I think overall, post-9-11, you're seeing people saying, 'What can we get our message out doing that isn't quite as risky?' Protesters are a little bit scared," Wood said. A total of 12,000 police officers have been assigned to the summit.

"Protesters always have to find a balance between getting noticed and being legitimate, and there's a risk if you start being too theatrical because you get written off as not serious," Wood said.

The full article's available on .

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Video: Professor Ananya Mukherjee-Reed Talks to the Agenda about the G20 and emerging powers

fmaquito — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Professor Ananya Mukherjee-Reed in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies' Department of Political Science took part in a panel discussion on the status and responsibilities of the leaders of G20 countries and the emerging powers of India, Brazil and China on TVO’s “The Agenda” June 22. The clip runs almost 37 minutes. You can .

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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Audio: Professor Ron Atkey on security jurisdiction at the G8 and G20 summits

fmaquito — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:00:00 +0000

, lawyer and adjunct professor of national security law in 91��ɫ’s , spoke about who has security jurisdiction at the G8 and G20 summits, on CBC Radio’s “The Current” June 22. You can listen to his interview on . The interview appears in the show's first part. Professor Atkey's clip begins at approximately the 8:30 mark.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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