On Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009, the NYU’s Master’s Program in Global Public Health will present a discussion of the newly published book “The Thin Blue Line: How Humanitarianism Went to War,” by its author, Conor Foley. Foley will discuss his career and experience with human rights and humanitarian aid organizations, and why, from Kosovo to Iraq, military interventions have in his view gone disastrously wrong.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 5 p.m. at New York University’s Kimball Hall Lounge, 246 Greene Street, New York, N.Y., concluding at 6:30 p.m. To RSVP, visit www.nyu.edu/mph/events.
A humanitarian aid worker, Foley has worked for a variety of human rights and humanitarian aid organizations, including Liberty, Amnesty International and the UNHCR, in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. His other books include “Combating Torture: A Manual for Judges and Prosecutors” (2003). He is now a development consultant and contributes a column to The Guardian.
The New York Times wrote of “The Thin Blue Line,” “[Foley’s] discussion of the humanitarians’ use of politics to further their ends benefits not only from his legal training but also from his insider’s experience.”
Observed writer James Traub: “Foley wrestles with the difficult question of how, or whether, humanitarian aid can be used to force political change. He offers hard wisdom distilled from years of experience.”
About the NYU Master’s Program in Global Public Health:
In response to the recognition that no single disciplinary approach is sufficient to respond to today’s complex global health challenges, five of New York University’s premier professional schools collaboratively offer the NYU Master’s Program Global Public Health, awarding the Master of Public Health degree (M.P.H). The program prepares professionals with advanced degrees from multiple disciplines to play leadership roles in promoting global health. Graduates of the program are uniquely qualified to lead multidisciplinary initiatives to enhance the health status of individuals and communities around the world. For more information, visit the program website at http://www.nyu.edu/mph.