\u27The Only Decision They Could Afford to Make\u27: The International Red Cross\u27 Reflection on Neutrality During the World Wars

When the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) opened its previously private archives in 1996, it opened the Committee up to international scrutiny and condemnation. Through the opening of these archives, many people, foundations, and organizations seized on this information to showcase something that had been rumored for years: The International Committee of the Red Cross\u27 resolution of neutrality in World War II cost over 10 million people their livelihoods as well as their lives. \u27The Only Decision They Could Afford to Make\u27 centers on how the International Red Cross has reflected on the decision to stay neutral even through the horrors of World War II. This is especially pertinent considering there is overwhelming evidence that the ICRC knew of the systematic extermination of Jewish, members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT+) community, Romani, and Slavic lives in the early years of the Holocaust. By examining the International Red Cross\u27 definition of neutrality in relation to WWI, this paper uncovers whether a precedent was set prior to WWII and explores the flexibility of neutrality during this time period and how the ICRC has evolved since. Through the exploration of the World Wars and the interwar period, \u27The Only Decision They Could Afford to Make\u27 reveals the importance of understanding how the International Committee of the Red Cross\u27 neutrality impacted the world on a broader scale