Famine Crimes: Politics & the Disaster Relief Industry in Africa

By Alex de Waal

Book Overview

"A powerful critique of the international humanitarian agencies dominating famine relief in Africa." --Foreign Affairs "This is unquestionably an important book by a writer whose accomplishments as a researcher, critic and activist on famine and on human rights in Africa are widely respect." --International Affairs ..". de Waal pleads for readers... to probe for a deeper understanding of the 'political roots of famine'... " --WorldView ..". a well-documented critique that should give pause for serious reflection and serve to instruct both the initiate and the master of famine theory... " --Sociocultural Anthropology Famine Crimes is a factually rich, powerfully intelligent, morally important analysis of the persistence of famine in Africa. Alex de Waal lays the blame for Africa's problems with starvation on the political failings of African governments, western donors, and the misguided policies of international relief agencies.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0253211581
• ISBN13: 9780253211583
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.9" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

americans shot black hawk down

Grown-ups should know that journalists rarely get their stories right. This book, presented as a straightforward examination of the NGO's 'Aid-Game' and their complementary 'Aid-Circus', ends up being all the more poignant when it targets Western misconceptions and the Neo-colonialism that has installed itself in the Western media and elites under the catchphrase 'Humanitarian Intervention'. You don't have to believe me - just read this fantastic book, written by a former member of the NGO's international, and find out how and why famines really start and really end, as opposed as what you hear on newspapers and TV. If you wanna know why Black Hawk went down, this is the book to start. If you remember those Ethiopian children you thought you saved by buying tickets for charity concerts, maybe you wanna know the truth.