Linda Polman takes us to war zones around the globe to show the often compromised results of aid workers' best intentions. It is time, Polman argues, to impose ethical boundaries, to question whether doing something is always better than doing nothing, and to hold humanitarians responsible for the consequences of their deeds. --from publisher description
Shows how the humanitarian aid industry, the media and warmongers the world over are locked in a cycle of mutual support. This title introduces us to the key players in this twisted game, to the aid-workers and the warlords themselves.
"In the spring of 2003, as we stood on the brink of war with Iraq, millions of people turned to the UN for a 'second resolution' and for an answer to the crisis. We Did Nothing exposes how these resolutions are made and what they mean in practice: during the 1990s Linda Polman visited the UN missions to Somalia, Haiti and Rwanda and witnessed the sometimes absurd and often horrifying consequences of the decisions made at UN headquarters." "Linda Polman demonstrates that when the UN fails it is truly our governments who have failed. We Did Nothing shows what the resolutions mean for the people who must live in these war zones, and for the UN soldiers who are sent to bring order to the terrifying chaos."--BOOK JACKET.