Fall/Winter Timetable

POL2207H1F L0101

Topics in International Politics III

Humanitarianism in World Politics

Themes

This course will examine the politics of humanitarianism in international society. We will consider what humanitarianism means to different actors, how humanitarianism should work in principle and how the “humanitarian sector” in world politics actually functions. In the light of the increasing role of non-state actors in global governance, we will focus primarily on the transnational humanitarian efforts of NGOs and IOs. State-run humanitarianism and the international humanitarian law will also be introduced. The course will build the necessary theoretical framework for analyzing current policy trends and assessing their consistency with the international humanitarian norms. We will examine the effectiveness of existing humanitarian efforts of assistance and protection.