Humanitarianism and the global Cold War, 1945–1991

This chapter tracks the evolution and expansion of the international humanitarian sector during the Cold War period. It examines how the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union spilled out beyond the confines of the diplomatic sphere and influenced violence and displacement across the Global South. During this period, I argue that there were three key phases of international humanitarian practice: 1) relief and the post-war reconstruction of Europe; 2) decolonisation and the emergence of the ‘Third World’; and 3) global economic organisations and the rise of neoliberalism. Humanitarian practices became increasingly politicised in their logic and delivery as the Cold War intensified, as international organisations struggled to respond to the territorial instability prompted by decolonisation. This chapter demonstrates how organisational pressures, racial hierarchies, and ideological prejudices shaped humanitarian interventions during the Global Cold War