Dispelling the myths of humanitarian aid International Organizations and Civilian Protection by Sreeram Chaulia

  Jul 16, 2011 BOOK REVIEW
Dispelling the myths of humanitarian aid
International Organizations and Civilian Protection by Sreeram Chaulia

Reviewed by Sudha Ramachandran


In 2009, the world watched in horror as hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka's northern province were prevented by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from fleeing relentless bombing by the Sri Lankan security forces.

Shocking images and accounts trickled out of the war zone of the government bombing homes and hospitals, and of the LTTE using civilian shields. These drew world attention not just to the callous treatment of civilians by the two sides but also the abject failure of the international community and humanitarian organizations to protect them.        
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Court of 'last resort' no threat to sovereignty: ICC president Sang-Hyun Song

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

• Chris Merritt, Legal Affairs editor From: The Australian  July 15, 2011 12:00AM 

Sang-Hyun Song, in Sydney this week, says the ICC should not and cannot stir around the judicial system of a sovereign state. Picture: James Croucher Source: The Australian

AS head of the International Criminal Court, President Sang-Hyun Song runs a tribunal that sits above national legal systems. The judge says his court complements national systems of criminal justice. But some critics -- particularly in the US -- have described the ICC as a threat to national sovereignty.
That threat, if it exists, has had little impact on the 116 countries, including Australia, that have acceded to the Rome Statute that established the court. In theory, these countries have empowered the ICC to sit in judgment on the conduct of their armed forces.
Concern about the ICC emerged briefly last year during the furore over the military prosecution by Australian authorities of troops who had served in Afghanistan.
Some saw the decision to prosecute Australian soldiers in Australia as a way of ensuring they would never be brought before the ICC.                       Full Story>>>