Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is pulling out of Iraq. They aren't really a canary in the sense that most people might mean, i.e. that the situation really is so bad that no one can work there. MSF, in my opinion, is often a little quick to pull out and CARE, for example, is generally a better barometer as to the actual difficulty of working in an environment. (Thus, it is interesting that in the context of Iraq CARE left first, though for very specific reasons.)
What is significant about MSF pulling out - and which makes them a "canary" - is that people listen to MSF.
" It's becoming increasingly difficult to operate as an international NGO - non-governmental organisation - in a situation ruled by the 'war on terror'. "
MSF's Marc Joolen is sounding a drumbeat that needs to be heard. The article also refers to MSF's leaving of Afghanistan earlier this year: " [MSF] complained then that because of humanitarian works by the US [military], it was becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between armed forces and aid agencies. " The blurring of the lines between militaries and aid agencies makes providing assistance much more difficult and leads to increased danger for agency staff and, more importantly, the beneficiaries of assistance.
ADDITIONAL: The other way in which MSF is like a canary - and was the place I thought I was going to go with this post when I began it - is that when they leave a country so do a lot of other agencies. You hear about MSF, but you don't hear about the others, and the quality of life for people caught in that conflict drops still further.
Posted by Martial...people listen to MSF.
Who? Not the Bushistas, that's clear.
Posted by: tex on November 5, 2004 10:34 AMNearly everybody who cares about international affairs knows MSF. They do have some political clout with parties in Europe and with some governments. News outlets love MSF - though not always for what I consider the right reasons. Certainly, MSF has the ability to be heard. Does anything change? Darfur wasn't even on the map for most people until MSF got involved.
Obviously, the Bush Administration doesn't listen - to anybody. But gathering evidence and promoting it are critical acts for rebuilding the world they're wrecking.
Posted by: Martial on November 5, 2004 11:33 AMI remember screaming about articles like the BBC one you linked in this post, as did many people and organizations with far more influence than I will ever have. Nothing happened.
I guess sometimes I feel like a Palestinian kid throwing a rock at a Merkava. The War Machine just rolls on, oblivious to anything.
Posted by: tex on November 5, 2004 03:49 PMWar Machines follow their own path (and own logic) right up to the moment that there is enough sand in the gears to bring them to a halt. We have to keep adding the sand.
Hey, it is not a good week for those of us who see this Administration's conduct as past incompetence and all the way to criminal. But we have to keep adding the sand.
I do see some small changes in the relationship between militaries and aid agencies. They aren't big enough to overcome the current situation, but we have to keep pushing.
Posted by: Martial on November 5, 2004 04:05 PM