Solferino revisited         
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Why this study . . and why "Solferino Revisited"?

Henry Dunant, a Swiss banker, was traveling in 1859 the region of Solferino. After having been witness by coincidence to the humanitarian consequences of warfare, he started to assist the surviving wounded. Following that he advocated for the establishment of voluntary attachments to national armies to provide medical assistance to the military, regardless their nationality. He described his experience and his ideas in "A memory of Solferino".

Many influential people were supportive to the idea, and in 1863 the ICRC was established in Dunant's home town, Geneva. Shortly after, the First Convention of Geneva was ratified by the first States.

The existence of the Geneva Conventions has allowed monitoring and restraint of the humanitarian effects of warfare. Nevertheless, the following century would produce the most savage wars since humans had walked planet earth.

Today, at the brink of the 21st century, little evidence exists to support the idea that the near future will be any different. We do not only see similar atrocities in our time, but as well a fall-back to "pre-Westphalia" with little universal regard for values, the Geneva Conventions, nor for transnational and consistently adhered policies.

While conflicts of the past were usually fought between nations and old Cold War ideologies seem a thing of the past, future conflict may be between them's and us's: Along ethnic, cultural and religious lines, fought through, with and by the people. Frightening warnings made by opinion leaders and politicians in an fast changing and globalizing world, changing identities, confused and emotional discussion on values and norms, freedom and democracy, all are forebodes of a near future period that sets in today: inequity, exclusion, and cultural imperialism. The result is uneasiness (if not fear) and tension in "non-conflict" multicultural environments, and as new types of warfare in more traditional tribal environments. But as we all have become more interdependent, the effects no longer remain local. They are regional and global with dangerously polarizing dynamics, affecting the metaphysical environment that we all (globally) perceive as individuals. Many are already directly affected today and in one way or another it affects all of us. If people across the world will not be able to contain essentially tribal paradigms in favor of an interdependent and more universal one, it is evident that the wellbeing, mental health state as well as the physical safety of our children will not necessarily be better than that in the 20^st century. .

It is the changing roles of Nation States and individuals, single and collective, that will determine how future societies will deal with conflict. In this project I look back at Dunant's time, and analyze how his social/political environment is different from that of tomorrow's (Red Cross/Crescent) volunteer. The latter will need to have capacity, strength, access and (above all) enjoy trust of others in order to assist effectively. There are many challenges though, possibly the biggest ones being that we "know" (resulting in not insufficiently analyzing both our environment and ourselves in depth) and path dependency.

So, the title Solferino Revisited points at the fact that I will start comparing humanitarian action of two completely different world's - in time and world-view that is: the mid 19^th and early 21^th centuries-  with as common element the weakest link yet only hope : Mankind.

In my analysis I will be looking out-of-the-box, in particular to the effects of globalization, reflecting on the latest insights in sociology as well as philosophy. I will not shun abstract ideas even if some are not likely to be operationalized in the near future. The result will be a comprehensive but interlinked collection of essays that readers with different interests will hopefully appreciate, as well as a list of recommendations.

Finally, there will be an abstract with the main conclusions, made available in English and Dutch.


Framework of Humanitarian Design - summary of findings

Universal membership & Bridging Social Capital

Today’s world is a globalizing one, in which inequity is increasing as well as international migration, and in which armed conflict will probably exist more often around ethic or religious issues than in the 20^st century.

Impact of such conflicts can be worldwide, increasing tensions and stigma of migrant or ethnic/religious groups. The challenge for the Red Cross is to surpass the borders of State, religion, and ethnicity.

A major step would be the creation of the universal volunteer member, who can - regardless his whereabouts - channel his expertise and services (social capital) through any local Red Cross / Red Crescent organisation.

This will positively contribute to diversity and the essential transnational character and identity that Red Cross volunteers need to have in order to obtain sufficient Bridging Social Capital to be an effective 21st century volunteer.

Substantive Principles

The Red Cross is a unique humanitarian Movement through its Seven Principles and its auxiliary link to government.

The relationship with government has its constraints however, e.g. groups may see a national Society as being part of and directed by Government. Sometimes that may even be practice, either through coercion or by failing understanding of the specific role and legal framework of the Red Cross by a Society’s leadership.

It is here where upholding the principle of Neutrality is vital. Mistaken interpretation of this Principle has frequently compromised the intended values of the Red Cross, leading to intentionally failing to assist the most vulnerable groups in society, both in non-conflict as well as in conflict situations. To prevent that Neutrality overrides humanitarian and moral considerations, Pictet categorized the Seven Principles and gave both Humanity and Impartiality the most prominent place, naming them the Substantive Principles.

These two Principles should be better understood and disseminated within the RC/RC Movement as well as to the most relevant stakeholders.

Phronesis

The Red Cross Movement has largely been able to work effectively and accordingly its values, often in difficult contexts, both in conflict as well as non-conflict situations.

Situations and contexts differ widely, and individual future situations undoubtedly require analysis and decisions on their own merits.

Deciding what counts as good practice – understood as praxis (action) – involves more than the application of theory (RC dogma) or the exercise of skill (accustomed values).

Determining what is the right thing to do in the right way at the right time – and actually doing it – involves a particular kind of judgement: phronesis, a term variously translated into English as prudence, practical wisdom and practical judgement.

Proactive Advocacy & Policy Influencing

Considering the continuously developing political/strategic environment it is important that the Red Cross Movement revitalizes develops a more activist stance towards peace through conflict prevention and reconciliation. In doing so it comes closer to (late-) “Dunantist” values than the Red Cross of the 19^th and 20^th century embraced.

The current post-Cold War era, in which new strategic global balances are developing amidst a fast changing and globalizing world, makes this even more relevant.

Clinching to an imperative but at times misinterpreted “neutral” stance through non-intervention (often: no "opinion", no activity) on e.g. issues of armed conflict or threatened vulnerable groups in society, may compromise the values of the Red Cross, damage its universal image, affect the trust it enjoys but needs from all. To ensure en enjoy access trust is the key for effective RC work.

Movement Integrity

The Red Cross / Red Crescent Movement seeks to be a true universal one, not only in membership but in action as well.

This requires that mutually agreed policies and standards are interpreted in the same manner everywhere, and are truly complied with. It also requires personal commitment and prudence from volunteers, staff and governance.

Within each national Society, an Ethics and Values Supervisory Board (EVSB) needs to be established that will be responsible for setting standards, monitoring, and advising to the Society's management and Central Board. This board reports annually to a dedicated commission within the International RC.

To further facilitate the universality of RC values, greater use should be made of national Societies' peer-assistance and monitoring. It should become standard practice that at annual national General Assembly meetings at least one neighbouring peer national Society is monitoring.

Second Generation Clausewitzian Trinity

People, political leaders and military often show remarkable resilience with the traditional polity of warfare and its resulting atrocity, as if an inevitable fact of being human.

Von Clausewitz presented this as the Wunderliche Dreifaltigkeit, an instrumental model in which the three mentioned groups that form the Nation State are each attributed specific characteristics and roles in times of war: The people are attributed irrational characteristics, whereas the military are attributed rational capacities.

Since Clausewitz' time - the mid 19^th century - the people have however gained in capacity to make rational decisions. Today they have also obtained full responsibility for the political process in democratic environments.  In times of conflict though, one largely falls back to the Darwinian form of Clausewitzian Trinitarian Warfare, and people are manipulated to ensure support for war. That leads to political opportunism, abuse of power, and to unnecessary suffering as not all options to preserve peace or mitigate and end conflict are utilised.

In a globalizing and interdependent world, where no place exists for nationalistic ethnicity/religion-based Nation States, political leaders and military need to adapt their view on the relationship warfare-people, and thus provide the people sufficient space for early conflict resolution as well as humanitarian access to war affected.
 

About me:

Initially trained as a mechanical engineer I worked as director of a family company trading in technical equipment for five years. In 1985 I embarked on a mission abroad with the Red Cross.

But before that I served in 1978/79 as a non-commissioned officer with the UNIFIL ^[1] peacekeeping forces in the south of Lebanon. As logistics commander of the Dutch battalion transport unit I probably spent some 35% of my mission outside UN controlled area. I had frequent contact with Lebanese civilians, notably in West Beirut, a prerogative not available to my college brothers (and occasionally sisters) in arms.

It is during this period in Lebanon that my curiosity for culture and conflict was born. The mission submersed me in an active conflict setting as a military person, be it within a peacekeeping force but nevertheless myself being armed day and night (literally, e.g. standard procedure was to sleep with a semiautomatic sub-machine gun in a sleeping bag). I obviously was trained to use weapons and "exercise power", and at occasions experienced what it means to be under attack. As convoy commander I had (few) liaison contacts with both “official” State army officers as well as local militia, renegade-like groups and common civilians (mainly in infamous West Beirut).

This military period proved a valuable asset to my later work with the Red Cross in conflict settings (which - in comparison - transpired to be far more dangerous and challenging and cause more hardship than the military service experience).

In total I worked approx. seven years abroad in conflict and post-conflict situations, mainly in the Middle East (Lebanon, Yemen) but also in the Sudan.

At The Red Cross Headquarters at the Hague I have been responsible for emergency assistance coordination and National Society development assistance, notably during the Gulf War, the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Kosovo War, and for numerous natural and man-made disasters elsewhere in between. In this position I frequently visited the Balkans, the Middle East and African countries. I studied Arabic at the AUC in Cairo and worked for both the ICRC^[2](Geneva) as well as the IFRC^[3](Yemen and Sudan).

My life companion was born in the colourful Moroccan medina of Fez, making our five-year-old son - even though having been born in the Netherlands - a “non-western immigrant” according to official Dutch statistics. This all submerses me both professionally as well as privately in a world as diverse as it can be.

Fascinated but concerned by the magnitude of miscellaneous public and State reactions following 11/9 and the resulting polarisation in European countries between (ex) migrant groups and indigenous populations, I embarked on a study of interculturalisation at the University of Utrecht^[4] which developed the course jointly with the Universities of Kent (UK) and Örebro (Sweden).

[1] “United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, background”, http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/

[2]  “International Committee of the Red Cross”, http://www.icrc.org/

[3]  “International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies”, http://www.ifrc.org/

[4]

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Kind Regards,
Ad Beljaars, Leiden, The Netherlands

 

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