War Games: the Story of Aid and War in Modern Times
8th May 2010
The pages of this necessary but contentious book burn with a righteous moral anger about the contradictions and tensions of delivering humanitarian aid in conflict zones. Linda Polman’s polemic is a timely reminder that noble intentions and humanitarian motives are often stretched to, and beyond, breaking point in the febrile world of modern-day war. She implores us to look beyond the clichés of humanitarian aid – red crosses, heart-rending dispatches from refugee camps, fund-raising appeals – and examine in detail the difficulties involved in giving aid effectively in such circumstances.