Joel Charny, vice president for policy, Refugees
International and Roberta Cohen, senior adviser, Brookings-Bern Project
on Internal Displacement at the
Brookings Institution, will join us for a discussion on the ethical, practical
and political challenges presented by humanitarian emergencies in authoritarian
states. In the wake of the floods in Burma, there is widespread concern
about international responsibility to provide assistance in closed
states.Charny argues that there is considerable space for humanitarian
assistance in Burma
without necessarily strengthening the authoritarian regime. Roberta Cohen
argues that there is a need for international standards to cope with natural
disasters. Is there an international responsibility to protect?
Does political will exist to apply this norm to humanitarian emergencies?
What practical lessons can we learn in the wake of the floods in Burma in
responding to international disasters?
Security for a New Century is a bipartisan study group for Congress. We meet
regularly with U.S.
and international policy professionals to discuss the post-Cold War and post-
9/11 security environment. All discussions are off-the-record. It is not
an advocacy venue. Please call (202) 223-5956 for more information.