2013/01/01 by Claude Kabemba · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Global Peace and Security Dynamics #International Development and Aid #Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics
paper · doi:10.1057/9781137270023_7
openalex publication_date 2013/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
This chapter revisits the different humanitarian interventions since the Berlin Conference of 1885. Throughout the past century, the Congo has continually been the subject of ‘humanitarian’ intervention by various Western powers. First, Leopold II of Belgium intervened to end the slave trade; then the Belgian government intervened to end Leopold’s atrocities; then the UN intervened to promote a certain kind of ‘self-determination’; and finally the UN intervened again to end a civil war. In all of these cases, the fundamental reality behind the interventions was always an economic one. Control of the Congo’s mineral and natural resource wealth has been the primary role of intervention. Because humanitarianism has always been the mask for economic intervention, true humanitarian efforts in the country are continually fruitless. INGOs, governments and local people have vastly different priorities in the provision of humanitarian assistance and the conflicting goals lead to stagnation, corruption and ineffectiveness of intervention. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.