Larissa Fast – författare

Humanitarian aid workers increasingly remain present in contexts of violence and are injured, kidnapped, and killed as a result. Since 9/11 and in response to these dangers, aid organizations have fortified themselves to shield their staff and programs from outside threats. In Aid in Danger, Larissa Fast critically examines the causes of violence against aid workers and the consequences of the approaches aid agencies use to protect themselves from attack.Based on more than a decade of research, Aid in Danger explores the assumptions underpinning existing explanations of and responses to violence against aid workers. According to Fast, most explanations of attacks locate the causes externally and maintain an image of aid workers as an exceptional category of civilians. The resulting approaches to security rely on separation and fortification and alienate aid workers from those in need, representing both a symptom and a cause of crisis in the humanitarian system. Missing from most analyses are the internal vulnerabilities, exemplified in the everyday decisions and ordinary human frailties and organizational mistakes that sometimes contribute to the conditions leading to violence. This oversight contributes to the normalization of danger in aid work and undermines the humanitarian ethos. As an alternative, Fast proposes a relational framework that captures both external threats and internal vulnerabilities. By uncovering overlooked causes of violence, Aid in Danger offers a unique perspective on the challenges of providing aid in perilous settings and on the prospects of reforming the system in service of core humanitarian values.

Humanitarian aid workers increasingly remain present in contexts of violence and are injured, kidnapped, and killed as a result. Since 9/11 and in response to these dangers, aid organizations have fortified themselves to shield their staff and programs from outside threats. In Aid in Danger, Larissa Fast critically examines the causes of violence against aid workers and the consequences of the approaches aid agencies use to protect themselves from attack.Based on more than a decade of research, Aid in Danger explores the assumptions underpinning existing explanations of and responses to violence against aid workers. According to Fast, most explanations of attacks locate the causes externally and maintain an image of aid workers as an exceptional category of civilians. The resulting approaches to security rely on separation and fortification and alienate aid workers from those in need, representing both a symptom and a cause of crisis in the humanitarian system. Missing from most analyses are the internal vulnerabilities, exemplified in the everyday decisions and ordinary human frailties and organizational mistakes that sometimes contribute to the conditions leading to violence. This oversight contributes to the normalization of danger in aid work and undermines the humanitarian ethos. As an alternative, Fast proposes a relational framework that captures both external threats and internal vulnerabilities. By uncovering overlooked causes of violence, Aid in Danger offers a unique perspective on the challenges of providing aid in perilous settings and on the prospects of reforming the system in service of core humanitarian values.

This major new textbook analyses the emergent role of conflict analysis and resolution. Cheldelin, Druckman and Fast are all based at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, and are international experts in the field of conflict. Covering theory, research and practice, the authors provide a comprehensive typology of conflict, as well as an in-depth analysis of the structural, strategic and cultural factors which influence conflict. They explore its management and resolution, paying particular attention to the concepts of negotiation, mediation and peace-building.

This textbook is dedicated to an analysis of the emergent role of conflict analysis and resolution. What can this interdisciplinary field contribute to our understanding of, solutions to, or transformations of some of the most pressing problems confronting human societies? The authors, a team of international experts with both academic and professional experience of the field, offer a broad range of geographical and disciplinary perspectives. Covering theory, research and practice, they provide a comprehensive typology of the types of conflict, and a through examination of influences - uctural, strategic and cultural - on conflict. They go on to explore the management and resolution of conflict, discussing negotiation, mediation and peacebuilding. This hopes to be a key text for undergraduates and postgraduates taking courses in the field, and also for professionals, both active and in training.