Social Science Research Council

The celebrity factor in humanitarian politics is historically a recent phenomenon. The role of celebrities was pioneered by UNICEF in the person of James Grant, who led the way in deploying what he named ‘Goodwill Ambassadors.’ That role has been usurped by recent appearance of celebrity activists who have promoted public profile at the expense [...]

With Saviors and Survivors: Darfur, Politics and the War on Terror, Mahmood Mamdani has, in his usual provocative manner, ignited a relevant and appropriate debate on Darfur and what needs to be done to resolve the crisis. Until recently, certain activists had a near-monopoly on publicity, and in doing so they defined not only the [...]

At the end of this month, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) hands over to the “hybrid” United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). This marks the end of the African Union’s biggest, most challenging and some say controversial and indeed most ambitious peace observation and peacekeeping operation ever. [...]