The Virtue of Selfishness

By Johnny Zakhia

The vVrtue of Selfishness is a book of ethics written by Ayn Rand.  She is the creator of a philosophical system called "Objectivism" that supports rational and ethical egoism, and rejects altruism. I will try to relate her concepts to the humanitarian world.

For Rand, “ethics is a code of values that guide man’s choices and action”, that is important because “nature does not provide man with an automatic form of survival”, therefore man must support his life on his own.

Understanding ethics sets the foundation for understanding why selfishness, the concern with one’s own interests, is virtuous and an objective necessity. Altruism is to value others above one's own self, which means to sacrifice oneself to others and is ultimately a form of slavery.

Ayn Rand is for rational egoism therefore she does not place a judgment on what we value, thus why I can relate this philosophy to humanitarian activities.  If we are helping someone it should be a trade where we are gaining something; for instance, satisfaction. The aid should not be a duty but a selfish choice. I think people that do not adopt this ethics in the humanitarian world are exposing themselves to mental fragilities and psychological difficulties in the face of the harsh reality of existence.

I urge everyone, especially those who do not agree with the selfish concept, to read this book and discover the ideas in greater depth. I don’t think that humanitarian motivation can be reduced to the binary thinking of selfishness versus altruism. I think that unconsciousness and emotions can play a significant role. For instance the desire to help can be the desire for dominance and for power seeking.

Of Mice And Men

The 8th of April or the World Rroma Day
By Adrian Spirchez 

There are nowadays, in Europe, between 12-15 millions Rroma people. They represent the largest ethnic minority of the European Union and the most neglected, by member states and societies, institutions and public opinion, by us. During my internship at Médecins du Monde – Mission Banlieu, I had the chance to meet a lot of Rroma families, of Romanian nationality, that chose to come to France in search of a better life. My job was to accompany the doctors on the field as a translator and a social & sanitary mediator for the Rroma patients that live in the slums located in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis – slums they were built without the permission of the local authorities. The miserable conditions they accept to live in – squalid barracks with no running water and improvised central heating, invaded by parasites and rats made me think, in a rather strange way, of the title and the plot of Steinbeck’s famous short story about the two solitary friends roving together in search of a better life. The 8th of April has been celebrated since 1990 as the International Rroma Day.  

The first World Rroma Congress was held on April 8th, 1971 near London, Great Britain, and funded by the World Council of Churches and the Government of India. The International Romani Union was created during the 2nd Romnai Congress, held in Prague seven years later in 1978.

This year an official announcement encouraged all Rromas to “gather at noon to cast flowers into our nearest river, sea, ocean. Let the spirit of the International Roma Day unite us!” And unity is exactly what is needed during this time of trouble, especially for the members of the European Rroma communities which after the famous Grenoble discourse of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, have been more than once abused by the forces of order – forces as confused as the institutions they are representing, when it comes to tackle the Rroma issue that is the needs and complains of a people who cherishes freedom more than anything. What do Rroma people understand by the virtues of freedom, a topic so much romanticized by artists of all kinds, is another matter, far more tricky which will consequently require far more space than the one allocated here. Let’s just mention that their understanding of freedom translates the need to rather disobey the establish order, either in Romania or in France for example, because culturally and socially they feel, and in many cases they are indeed, discriminated against by the majority. But the irony is that nobody can really say, in Romania or in Europe, if they are excluded because of the way they choose to live their life or if they live the way they do exactly because they are differentiated and thus marginalized. A vicious circle!

How to Find Your Way Through a Minefield?

By Armelle Septiers

1- Watch where you step

2- If you walk on one, stay still

3- Examine the floor around you, so you can find electric cables, detonators, or other threatening things

4- Avoid like the plague these suspect things and go back slowly the same way you came

5- Keep doing it until you know you’re safe

But anyway, the best way is to avoid being in this situation. So, how identifying and avoiding minefields?

The simplest way to avoid the mines is to avoid risk zones. If you are already in a risk zone, follow these tips:

• Gather information from local people, mines clearance technicians, the women and the children are the best sources of information in the dangerous zones.
• Observe the animals. They often serve to clear off mines.  A high quantity of mutilated animals that the population don’t approach can indicate a minefield.
• Observe the movements of the local people, if people don’t take perfectly identifiable paths that mean that they are avoiding a mined zone. Locate and remember these places and avoid them the same way.
• Watch if the ground was moved. Ground movement or discoloration of fields may indicate a hasty mines installation.
• Watch out for tight cables in the middle of the way.  It is probably a detonator linked to a mine or to another explosive.
• Beware of recent destroyed vehicles or abandoned ones on the side of the road.  Burnt cars and craters are the most evident proofs of a recent explosion of one or more mines. Never think that the path is safe because a mine already exploded.
• Stay away from the bushes, fields and ways paths invaded with vegetation. The probable  mine clearing couldn’t be clearly signaled and it will be more difficult to find your way.

You are now warned:

• A lot of mines are indefinitely active. Don’t hesitate to take a guide in the risky zones.
• There are four types of antipersonnel mines:
• 1- Cable trap mines: a traction on the cable link to the detonator by a person detonates the explosion.
• 2 Direct pressure mines: A foot pressing on this mine is sufficient to detonate the explosion.
• 3- Time-mines: the explosion is automatically triggered by a detonator. It can be an electronic alarm clock or a chemical corroder product or a simple timer.
• 4- Remote-control mines: the detonator can be activated by an electric charge in a wire, a radio signal or a heat or sound captor.

The 6th World Water Forum: Time for Solutions

By Morgane Guérot

After a week of conferences, events and discussions, the 6th World Water Forum which took place in Marseilles just ended. Ministerial delegations, experts, NGOs gathered to explain their solutions for water. This forum represents a key step to the resolution of water related problems in the world, from sanitation and access to clean water for all populations, to energy questions, including water resources management in light of climate change and food security[1][2].

"The right to water and sanitation ensures everyone the right to access safe drinking water in sufficient and acceptable quantities, physically accessible and affordable as well as sanitation", stated Corinne Schuster-Wallace[3] during the session organised by WHO on the subject. Unfortunately, this statement is pure utopia at the moment. Since 1990, 1.8 billion people have had access to improved sanitation facilities but 2.5 billion people still lack sanitation. 1.1 billion human beings, or 15% of the world’s population practice open defecation. More than 900 million people lack access to drinking water from improved sources[4].

During the forum, lots of solutions were discussed. If there are different approaches, there is only one objective: the resolution of water related problems.

According to Piers Cross, from the Water and Sanitation for All organisation, one solution is the cooperation between education and the health sector. For some people, the answer to resolve water problems will come from women. "In Africa, the water issue belongs to women: they go to get water and bring it back in a bucket" says Courtès Ketcha, mayor of Bangangté, Cameroon. Experts and high-level female political officials supported this idea by providing concrete answers based on real-world contexts. Education appeared to be the main

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[1] http://www.worldwaterforum6.org

[2] It was a preparatory step for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development Rio +20, which will be held from 20th to 22nd June 2012.

[3] Programme Officer for Water Nexus Health

[4] Source: Unicef, http://volunteers.unicefusa.org/assets/pdf/unicef-usf-intro-notes.pdf

What is an extreme environment?

By Lucile Hoarau

Review: When Bamboo Bloom, An Anthropologist in Taliban’s Afghanistan, by Patrica A. Omidian

In the book When Bamboo Bloom, Patricia A. Omidian recounts her experiences in Afghanistan during the timme when the Taliban controlled over 90% of the country. She wans in Afghanistan for a research and training assignment as an applied anthropologist working with various NGOs. All her work experiences took place from the time of her arrival in Afghanistan in 1997 until she was forced to depart in 2007 due to security issues.

I decided to read Ms. Omidian’s book for a few reasons.  First of all, I wanted to read something true, something that could give me an idea of how hard it is to conduct training work and have to deal with many obstacles daily.  I wanted to get the point of view of someone who spent fourteen years of her life working in a context of war far away from her family. I wanted to know what difficulties NGOs can face on the ground and what challenges staff might face in an extreme environment where people are oppressed because of their ethnicity or their religious affiliation.

Upon first reading this book, I was not clear about the degree of impartiality and neutrality, being that these values are highly regarded in humanitarian intervention. I first felt that Patricia was not taking any clear position in regard to the local population or the Taliban. I got the impression that she was keeping a neutral stance. I was wrong. Humanitarian intervention is not neutral at all. When you get hired to work with an NGO in Afghanistan, you pick your camp and you are working for those who want to make “good things” happen.  As a consequence, you are not totally neutral.

At first glance, the title is the main element that draws my attention to a book. When Bamboo Bloom does not reveal much about Afghanistan, but the subtitle does. My first thought was to establish a relation between Afghanistan and Bamboo. Later on, I figured out that Bamboo does not grow in Afghanistan. Then, I found out that Bamboo could symbolize hope—hope for justice and peace to someday come. What struck me the most in the book is how Afghans are so patient and hopeful even after all these years of war. Despite having endured decades of war, suffering, loss of family members, material loss, on-going violence, and pressure from their “government”, they are still hopeful.  ‘Bloom’ should symbolize the growth toward peace.  Is peace really likely to happen in Afghanistan? I do not know the answer.

I think humanitarian action is either not well defined enough or is represented in an overly positive manner, as if it is a good thing simply because aid workers are helping countries that need help. I agree with this suggestion, however my question is: what is the real relationship between the helper and the beneficiaries? To me, there is an imbalance of power between the two that can prevent the beneficiaries from saying no to a program in their country. I also think the helper tries to keep poor countries dependent in order to force acceptance of their presence on the territory or to justify their actions.

When America was under attack in 2001, the Bush government and NATO decided to invade Afghanistan, and the reason why they did it was to run after the Taliban and to get those who planned and funded the attacks. But soon it was clear that this was not the only reason…soon the U.S., NATO, and many Western NGOs arrived to push their culture and way of living on the Afghan people. So no matter what Patricia did in Afghanistan with her collaborators, the goal of humanitarian actions was in essence to change a particular society, and make this society become “like ours”. By helping Afghan people, the US, NATO and foreign NGOs changed Afghanistan and exported their point of view, imposing their ideas about the best way to run the country.

Aside from these aspects, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the generosity of Afghan culture, about their resiliency in the face of the many difficulties they have faced and those they have still yet to overcome. Finally, their capacity to maintain their cultural values in spite of the pressure imposed by the Taliban at the time is a remarkable testimony of the Afghan people’s bravery and courage.