The International Committee of the Red Cross in Internal Armed Conflicts (eBook)

Dr Rajeesh Kumar is an Associate Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi, India. He has Ph.D. in International Organization from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Before joining IDSA, he taught at Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi and University of Calicut, Kerala. He is the co-editor of two books: Eurozone Crisis and Future of Europe: Political Economy of Further Integration and Governance and Islam, Islamist Movements and Democracy in the Middle East: Challenges, Opportunities, and Responses. His articles and reviews appeared in journals, magazines and newspapers such as Strategic Analysis, India Quarterly, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, CEU Political Science Journal, E-International Relations, The Diplomat, Japan Times, Tehran Times and The Outlook.

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This book critically examines the possible dilution of the neutrality principle of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in internal armed conflicts. It begins with the proposition that the intervention of ICRC in internal armed conflicts led to compromises in neutrality, and questioned the autonomy and independence of the organization. The book also argues that the field operations of the international humanitarian organizations during internal armed conflicts are dependent on the authority exercised by the state in whose territory the conflict persists. The ICRC's involvement in Sri Lanka and Sudan provides empirical support to validate these propositions and arguments. The cases also show that for the ICRC, it is hard to be neutral and impartial in situations of internal armed conflicts and such conflicts present formidable challenges to maintain its organization autonomy as well. The larger purpose of the book is to contribute to the policyre/formulation of the international humanitarian organizations in internal armed conflict, the most significant challenge in the field at present.