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Contributions from
the Column
Books and Media
North Korea: the dilemma of humanitarian aid
Nation Building: a concept rife with pitfalls
Knowledge in global development
11/2004 |
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North Korea:
the dilemma of humanitarian aid
L. Gordon Flake, Scott Snyder (Ed.):
Paved with Good Intentions. The NGO Experience in North Korea.
Westport, Praeger 2003, 168 pp,
Euro 51.80, ISBN 0-275-98157-6
Michael Schloms:
North Korea and the Timeless Dilemma of Aid.
A Study of Humanitarian Action in Famines,
Münster, Lit 2004, 320 pp,
Euro 29.90, ISBN 3-8258-7531-8
“In North Korea, it was not possible to reconcile the demand and the reality of humanitarian aid, or to restore its credibility. Consequently, the chance for dialogue was wasted”, sums up Schloms. The nature of a dilemma is such, that it cannot be overcome. Encountering a dilemma is therefore part of the humanitarian challenge. Schloms' key agenda is to present the approaches for humanitarian aid in famines within the tense framework that exists between theory and practice, using the example of North Korea to illustrate his views.
The first part of Schloms book concentrates on the general ethics of humanitarian aid, humanitarian aid as such, famines, and an historical outline of international aid in famines. Using a concrete example, the second part of the book analyses the implications for the activities of non-governmental organisations in North Korea.
In the case of North Korea, the political explosiveness of aid is considered from both the donors’ and the recipients’ points of view. The NGOs’ dilemma in following the guidelines available to them is considerable: firstly, the moral duty of alleviating human suffering (humanitarian imperative), secondly, the necessity of doing justice to the standards and traditions of the organisation concerned, and thirdly, the challenge of dealing with the restrictions that result from external political interests.
Schloms understands dilemma situations to be a timeless characteristic of humanitarian trade and contradicts the common assumption that the “humanitarian dilemma” refers to the end of the Cold War and to violence and state decay. The author thinks international humanitarian aid is currently in a crisis of meaning, which can only be overcome if the heterogeneous players agree on the fundamental goals and principles of humanitarian trade.
The analysis of numerous interviews with staff members from UN organisations, NGOs, the EU, USAID and the German Development Ministry, along with the author’s first hand experience in North Korea, give the book a significant practical relevance over and above the theoretical debate.
In contrast to Schloms’ work, the slim anthology by Flake and Snyder places information about North Korea and the country itself at the fore. As a starting point, they take the insights that can be gained about North Korea via the NGOs. The role of NGOs in general is highlighted and special mention is given to the US American, European and South Korean NGOs.
It is noteworthy that the contributions – which are arranged according to geographical region – are written by authors of each respective region. Apart from detailed analyses on the activities of NGOs in North Korea, there is also a contribution by a South Korean author, which seeks to expose the general political side of the issue. Schloms’ contribution on the European NGOs should certainly be read in context with his monograph and the hypotheses it contains.
The accounts are rounded off with a preview of the lessons to be drawn for NGOs’ activities in North Korea. Overall, the authors paint rather a pessimistic picture of the working conditions for non-governmental organisations, their chances of an insight into the North Korean reality, and the flexibility of the political leadership of North Korea and its ability to learn.
Snyder comes to the conclusion that in the long term, only the step from humanitarian aid to development aid can solve North Korea’s problems. Thus, the book points out both the necessity and the impracticality of a structural solution to the North Korean crisis. The appendix includes numerous tabular overviews of the financial extent, type and development of humanitarian aid as well as a chronology of humanitarian aid in North Korea from 1995 to 2002.
The two publications complement each other with the different directions their assertions take. They are therefore especially well suited as parallel readings.
Regine Reim
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