Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introductory essay: Humanitarian trends and dilemmas / Tony Vaux -- The politics of emergency and the demise of the developing state : problems for humanitarian advocacy / Vanessa Pupavac -- Post-war aid : patterns and purposes / Astri Suhrke and Julia Buckmaster -- Humanitarianism and politics : the dangers of contrived separation / Volker Schimmel -- Who really protects civilians? / Andrew Bonwick -- Colombian peace communities : the role of NGOs in supporting resistance to violence and oppression / Gretchen Alther -- Women and war : protection through empowerment in El Salvador / Martha Thompson and Deborah Eade -- Everyday practices of humanitarian aid : tsunami response in Sri Lanka / Udan Fernando and Dorothea Hilhorst -- Aid partnership in the Bougainville conflict : the case of a local women's NGO and its donors / Jonathan Makuwira -- Art and disarmament : turning arms into plowshares in Mozambique / Frank James Tester -- Mission impossible : gender, conflict, and Oxfam GB / Suzanne Williams -- Women, gender, and conflict : making the connections / Martha Thompson -- Selected resources on contemporary humanitarianism / Deborah Eade.