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Abstract
The delivery of humanitarian aid remains one of the main challenges in contemporary armed conflict. The legal, political and physical construction of a sustained and respected humanitarian space, in which such aid delivery can occur, is a fragile operation. Humanitarian spaces increasingly appear fragmented and localised. They are re-negotiated continuously, either as part of subnational and local truces and peace or cooperation agreements or through ad hoc bargaining between humanitarians and armed actors. Based on a comparison of how relief efforts are negotiated in Syria, this article argues that humanitarian space is not shrinking, as is commonly assumed, but rather is being reconfigured into humanitarian micro-spaces. Such micro-spaces are fluid, dynamic and overlapping arenas of relief, constantly challenged, and morphed by different actors. Working in humanitarian micro-spaces requires continuous political involvement and decision-making, which presents a substantial challenge for humanitarian organisations.
Acknowledgements
Dorith Kool thanks her colleagues at Erasmus University Rotterdam for the great experience of working together, and for their stories, insights and encouragement.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1 See the peace agreements referring to internal armed conflict in the PA-X Peace Agreements Database (www.peaceagreements.org).
2 ‘Arsal 24-Hour Ceasefire Agreement’, signed on 5 August 2014, original text from the PA-X Peace Agreements Database.
3 ‘Agreement regarding the Steps to Find a Comprehensive Solution to the Syrian Issue by Peaceful Means in the Area of Decreased Escalation which Includes all of Jubar and East Ghouta’, signed in Geneva between Russia and the Political Bureau of the Free Syrian Army in Jubar and East Ghouta on 16 August 2017, translated text from the PA-X Peace Agreements Database.
4 See note 2.
5 ‘Truce Agreement in the towns of Bayt Sahem and Babila’, signed on 15 January 2014, original text from the PA-X Peace Agreements Database.
6 Statements by humanitarian mediators in the PSRP Joint Analysis Workshop on Local Peace Agreements, British Academy, London, 8 October 2019.
7 ISSG refers to the ‘International Syria Support Group’, which consists of 20 states and international organisations with stakes and interest in the Syrian conflict.
8 ‘Resolution 2254 (2015), adopted by the Security Council at its 7588th meeting, on 18 December 2015’, original text from the PA-X Peace Agreements Database.
9 ‘Memorandum on the creation of de-escalation areas in the Syrian Arab Republic’, signed in Astana on May 4th, 2017, original text from the PA-X Peace Agreements Database.
10 Interview no. 5.
11 Interview no. 8.
12 Interview no. 3.
13 Interview no. 4.
14 Interview no. 1.
15 Interview no. 6.
16 Interview no. 5.
17 Interview no. 5.
18 Interview no. 7.
19 Interview no. 4.
20 Interview no. 7.
21 Interview no. 4.
22 Interview no. 5.
23 Interview no. 1.
24 Interview no. 8.
25 Interview no. 6.
26 Interview no. 2.
27 Interview no. 5.
28 Interview no. 7.
29 Interview no. 1.
30 Interview no. 1.
31 Interview no. 7.
32 Interview no. 3.
33 Interview no. 4.
34 Interview no. 9.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Lisa Dorith Kool
Lisa Dorith Kool is a Strategic Analyst at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS). She holds a MSc in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from Leiden University and a MSc in Military Strategic Studies from the Netherlands Defence Academy. Dorith has expertise on the security implications of climate change, geopolitics, fragile states and civil-military relations.
Jan Pospisil
Jan Pospisil is Research Director at the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR) and leads the research stream on local peace agreements at the Political Settlements Research Programme (PSRP). He is also an Associate Professor at the Department for Political Science at the University of Vienna. His work focuses on peace processes and political settlements, local peace agreements, resilience and South Sudanese politics.
Roanne van Voorst
Roanne van Voorst (PhD) is an anthropologist, affiliated with the International Institute for Social Studies (ISS, Erasmus University). She is currently involved in the research project ‘When Disaster Meets Conflict. Disaster Response of Humanitarian Aid and Local State and Non-State Institutions in Different Conflict Scenarios’.