Review "Roberts gives a brilliantly succinct analysis of the issues and dilemmas facing policymakers here--not least how to provide the security that humanitarian aid givers and receivers both desperately need. When it comes to solutions, he has the sturdy Englishman's distaste for grand prescriptions,arguing that it is easier to garner support for particular interventions than for any general principle of humanitarian intervention. Roberts's advocacy of the use of force is of the modest, commonsense variety: do it selectively, where it will work...very helpful indeed in a world too oftenparalyzed, in the face of suffering, by moral and political indecision."--Common Knowledge Product Description Humanitarian action formed a major part of the international community's response to the wars of the 1990s, especially civil wars. But the experiences of governments, NGOs, and international bodies involved in humanitarian action have raised controversial questions like: Does humanitarianaction save lives or prolong wars? Is it compatible with economic sanctions? Does it permit forcible population movements? How should safety zones be protected? Is military assistance for humanitarian action useful? Do NGOs lose their impartiality when they participate in a large, co-ordinatedinternational response? This study provides a solid overview of these issues. About the Author Adam Roberts is Montague Burton Professor of International Relations and Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford. He was Associate Editor of Peace News from 196268 and a Lecturer in International Relations at the LSE from 196881. After moving to Oxford he was Alastair Buchan Reader in InternationalRelations and Professorial Fellow at St Antonys College, Oxford from 198186. He was also a member of the Council of the RIIA from 198591.