The ICRC's clout comes from being impartial - according to a good contact at a fairly high level in the ICRC, Amnesty International are the activists, while the ICRC acts more "politically"/"diplomatically" - thus getting access to people many won't. Can't really say more, even if I'd like to, without breaching some confidentiality, but I have enormous respect for the ICRC.
Exactly. I have the same respect for the people working behind the scenes at the UN, and in the world's diplomatic corps generally. It's the only government this planet has, and people are generally trying to do their best.
UN is still not impartial.I've met both ICRC people and the guy whose novbel I'm coaching at the moment is with the human rights people of the UN, but there's a bit of rivalry and issues between ICRC and everybody else, because the ICRC sometimes feels other agencies are messing stuff up (a friend had very little good to say about certain missions where the UN did apparently, underperform). Plus, being independently funded, the ICRC is beholden to nobody, which I like.
Other NGOs, I'm not too sure about - they swarm with spies. The US has an abominable track record of placing spies in NGOs - which gets other humanitarian aid workers killed/attacked. It's a very interesting issue, and I'll most definitely will write about that in the future...
Canadians are not found of the U.S. practice of disguising spooks as aid workers. We are also not fond of the U.S. practice of disguising spooks as Canadians. Or anyone else doing so:I'm looking at you, Mossad.) (Sometimes we allow other people to disguise themselves as Canadians, but it's our own prerogative, not somebody else's.)
Even the NGOs aren't fond of the CIA being in any NGO involved anywhere "interesting" - I've had friends at various non-US NGOs and they all resented the practice.
I guess the Canadians are just generally well-liked. The New Zealanders of the North American continent. :)
If they can't follow the leak... things should be alright. Loved the ICRC's response: Yes, it's genuine, but it's bad form/rude to leak stuff. I love them stuffy Red Cross folks. :)
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Date: 2009-04-07 04:33 pm (UTC)The ICRC's clout comes from being impartial
Date: 2009-04-07 04:50 pm (UTC)I have the same respect for the people working behind the scenes at the UN, and in the world's diplomatic corps generally. It's the only government this planet has, and people are generally trying to do their best.
Re: The ICRC's clout comes from being impartial
Date: 2009-04-07 04:56 pm (UTC)Other NGOs, I'm not too sure about - they swarm with spies. The US has an abominable track record of placing spies in NGOs - which gets other humanitarian aid workers killed/attacked. It's a very interesting issue, and I'll most definitely will write about that in the future...
Re: The ICRC's clout comes from being impartial
Date: 2009-04-07 05:23 pm (UTC)(Sometimes we allow other people to disguise themselves as Canadians, but it's our own prerogative, not somebody else's.)
Re: The ICRC's clout comes from being impartial
Date: 2009-04-08 11:39 am (UTC)I guess the Canadians are just generally well-liked. The New Zealanders of the North American continent. :)
no subject
Date: 2009-04-07 04:52 pm (UTC)It's tragic, but true. They do what they can. Still, this document is more than a little bit harrowing. I hope that the leak doesn't hurt the ICRC.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-07 04:57 pm (UTC)