Book Review: KM Fierke, Critical Approaches to International Security
| Date | 01 November 2017 |
| Published date | 01 November 2017 |
| Author | Akinyemi Oyawale |
| DOI | 10.1177/1478929917713464 |
| Subject Matter | Book ReviewsInternational Relations |
633
The Politics of Humanitarian Technology:
and science and technology studies (STS) gen-
Good Intentions, Unintended Consequences
erally, Jacobsen has produced a work that can
and Insecurity by Katja Lindskov Jacobsen.
comfortably be placed within the fields of
Abingdon: Routledge, 2015. 208pp., £85.00 (h/b),
political theory, humanitarianism, interna-
ISBN 9781138022072
tional relations and technology studies.
The book is well researched and the points
There is a general assumption at play in the
are well argued; the selected case studies are
contemporary international community that
insightful and elegantly written and can be
humanitarian action can only ever be a good
understood both on their own and as part of the
and moral thing. In recent years, humanitarian
overriding structure of the text. The points
actors have been utilising new technologies at
Jacobsen raises throughout are thought-pro-
an increasing rate, giving those technologies
voking and astute and will certainly generate
the impression of normative acceptability.
further research in many fields.
In The Politics of Humanitarian Technology,
Katja Lindskov Jacobsen analyses the use of
Courteney J O’Connor
new and emerging technologies in the humani-
(The Australian National University)
tarian context. An interesting point that is
raised early in the text, and both discussed and
© The Author(s) 2017
Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
backed up throughout, is that despite the moral
DOI: 10.1177/1478929917716893
justification of humanitarian action, it does not
journals.sagepub.com/home/psrev
always lead to a net benefit for the vulnerable
population in question (p. 21). In addition,
Critical Approaches to International
Jacobsen notes that it is impossible for human-
Security by KM Fierke. Oxford: Polity Books,
itarian practices to operate completely removed
2015. 240pp., £18.99 (p/b), ISBN 9780745670546
from local...
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