Episode
What it means for humanitarians to be political | Rethinking Humanitarianism
- Podcast
- The New Humanitarian
- Published
- May 7, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1681
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/podcast
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Summary
Saving lives is a choice, and that makes it hard for humanitarianism to be completely apolitical despite long-running debates about neutrality and impartiality. But what does being political look like? On this episode: Flotillas and White Helmets, the difference between speaking out as individual humanitarian actors or as a unified collective, moving beyond simply being in "solidarity with communities", and finding a diversity of voices to build a future version of humanitarianism. Guests: Shatha Elnakib , faculty and deputy director of the Center for Humanitarian Health at Johns Hopkins University, and lead author of The Lancet's article, The humanitarian system: politics can not be avoided. Jonathan Whittall , executive director and founder of the KEYS Initiative Got a question or feedback? Email [email protected] or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.