The Contemporary International Committee of the Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was founded in 1863 and is often considered the gold standard in humanitarian action. Despite its many positive achievements over more than 150 years, some former ICRC officials believe that the organization is now in decline because of a series of recent policy choices. Their view is that the organization has undermined its reputation for independent and neutral humanitarian action, while growing too fast and too large, which has weakened its reputation for quick, tightly focused, and effective action in the field. David P. Forsythe revisits the ICRC policy decisions of recent decades and suggests that the organization is not in fatal decline, but that it does need to reconsider some of its policies at the margins. Though some errors have been made and some corrections are in order, Forsythe argues that its obituary is premature.

Author: David P. Forsythe
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 02/01/2024
Pages: 488
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.80lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.06d
ISBN: 9781009386968

Review Citation(s):
Choice 10/01/2024

About the Author
Forsythe, David P.: - David P. Forsythe is Professor Emeritus, University Professor and Charles J. Mach Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is a past consultant to the Red Cross Movement and the UN refugee office, as well as author of multiple publications about the ICRC, including the first independent book, Humanitarian Politics: The International Committee of the Red Cross (1977).

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