{"product_id":"empire-of-humanity-a-history-of-humanitarianism-9780801478796","title":"Empire of Humanity: A History of Humanitarianism","description":"\u003cp\u003eEmpire of Humanity explores humanitarianisms remarkable growth from its humble origins in the early nineteenth century to its current prominence in global life. In contrast to most contemporary accounts of humanitarianism that concentrate on the last two decades  Michael Barnett ties the past to the present  connecting the antislavery and missionary movements of the nineteenth century to todays peacebuilding missions  the Cold War interventions in places like Biafra and Cambodia to postCold War humanitarian operations in regions such as the Great Lakes of Africa and the Balkans; and the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863 to the emergence of the major international humanitarian organizations of the twentieth century. Based on extensive archival work  close encounters with many of todays leading international agencies  and interviews with dozens of aid workers in the field and at headquarters  Empire of Humanity provides a history that is both global and intimate. Avoiding both romanticism and cynicism  Empire of Humanity explores humanitarianisms enduring themes  trends  and  most strikingly  ethical ambiguities. Humanitarianism hopes to change the world  but the world has left its mark on humanitarianism. Humanitarianism has undergone three distinct global agesimperial  postcolonial  and liberaleach of which has shaped what humanitarianism can do and what it is. The world has produced not one humanitarianism  but instead varieties of humanitarianism. Furthermore  Barnett observes that the world of humanitarianism is divided between an emergency camp that wants to save lives and nothing else and an alchemist camp that wants to remove the causes of suffering. These camps offer different visions of what are the purpose and principles of humanitarianism  and  accordingly respond differently to the same global challenges and humanitarianism emergencies. Humanitarianism has developed a metropolis of global institutions of care  amounting to a global governance of humanity. This humanitarian governance  Barnett observes  is an empire of humanity: it exercises power over the very individuals it hopes to emancipate. Although many use humanitarianism as a symbol of moral progress  Barnett provocatively argues that humanitarianism has undergone its most impressive gains after moments of radical inhumanity  when the \"international community\" believes that it must atone for its sins and reduce the breach between what we do and who we think we are. Humanitarianism is not only about the needs of its beneficiaries; it also is about the needs of the compassionate.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45647064956981,"sku":"ByrdShop_0801478790","price":21.61,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780801478796.jpg?v=1781687335","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/empire-of-humanity-a-history-of-humanitarianism-9780801478796","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}