Wednesday, February 02, 2005

and on a happier note...

I have a couple of job leads, here in Edmonton, to keep me happy until that good ol' thesis is done. On top of that, it's International Week on campus, and I have been getting my fill of global issues. I've heard the prince of Swaziland (who is also the grandson of Nelson Mandela) speak, as well as Omar Kdar's lawyer. I also spent lots of time this evening before hockey with an expert in working internationally. He had all sorts of advice for me and has agreed to help me "internationalize" my resume. I learned so much from him and he got me excited about my big job search again. There are many more interesting lectures to come, including the Canadian director of MSF and a representative of CIDA...more networking opportunities for me!

And as I attend these lectures and think about the next step in my life, I find myself really questioning the nature of humanitarian aid...it's supposed to be based on principles of neutrality and impartiality, but such principles are obviuosly compromised in so many parts of the world these days...humanitarian aid often coincides with military intervention, which often carries a political agenda, hence there becomes politicization of humanitarian aid, which negates it's primary tenet of neutrality. This needs more thought on my part.....but in the morning, when my head ain't so fuzzy.

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