Abstract

Conflicts in Africa, Asia and Latin America have become a common focus of advocacy by Western celebrities and NGOs. This provocative volume delves into the realities of these efforts, which have often involved compromising on integrity in pursuit of profile and influence. Examining the methods used by Western advocates, how they relate to campaigns in the countries concerned, and their impact, expert authors evaluate the successes and failures of past advocacy campaigns and offer constructive criticism of current efforts. Taking in a range of high-profile case studies, including campaigns for democracy in Burma and Latin America, for the rights of Palestinians in Gaza, and opposing the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, the authors challenge the assumptions set forth by advocacy organizations.
Alex de Waal is executive director of the World Peace Foundation and a research professor at the Fletcher School, Tufts University. He is considered one of the foremost experts on Sudan and the Horn of Africa, and his scholarship and practice have also probed humanitarian crisis and response, human rights, HIV/AIDS and governance in Africa, and conflict and peace-building. He was a member of the African Union mediation team for Darfur (2005-06) and senior adviser to the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel for Sudan (2009-11). He was on the list of Foreign Policy’s 100 most influential public intellectuals in 2008 and Atlantic Monthly’s 27 ‘brave thinkers’ in 2009.

'Anyone who wants to understand the complex, ambiguous and often neglected nature of international activism must read this informative and readable book. Through a series of fascinating case studies the book illustrates the upsides and downsides of international engagement with local campaigns in some of the most difficult places in the world.'
Professor Mary Kaldor, London School of Economics and Political Science

'This timely and sobering volume asks the critical question: What is the price of success? In a series of compelling cases taken from the recent past, we see how Western activists are often co-opted, or forced to compromise on their founding goals, taking them further and further away from what might truly help those who are supposed to benefit from their activism.'
Michael Barnett, author of The Empire of Humanity

‘Alex de Waal and his students have assembled a fascinating group of thinkers and doers to dissect transnational advocacy in the twenty-first century.’
Robert Muggah, author of No Refuge and Relocation Failures in Sri Lanka

'Based on a series of insightful case studies, Advocacy in Conflict brilliantly explores the contradictory pressures on transnational advocacy. Essential reading for any thoughtful conflict advocate.'
Duncan Green, senior strategic adviser, Oxfam GB

'These eye-opening studies tell us so much about the way the western lens distorts the world's realities. George Clooney should read it from cover to cover.'
Peter Gill, author of Famine and Foreigners

'This highly informative book is full of eye-opening case studies and is a must-read for all activists that genuinely care about the political empowerment of communities affected by conflict.'
Peace News