15 - The ethics of humanitarian neutrality in Syria

This episode features a roundtable discussion on the principle and practice of humanitarian neutrality during the Syrian civil war since 2011. Humanitarian operations during the Syrian civil war were subject to much controversy and criticism. This criticism is reflected upon and carefully discussed by Carsten Wieland in his book Syria and the Neutrality Trap: The Dilemmas of Delivering Humanitarian Aid through Violent Regimes (I.B. Tauris, London (UK), 2021). In this roundtable discussion, Carsten Weiland (Diplomat, scholar and author) provides an introduction based on his book, followed by reflections by Anna Cervi (Norwegian Refugee Council) and Emanuela Chiara-Gillard (Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict). This roundtable is the first in a series of discussions on ethics in humanitarian action. Held on 16 January 2023, the roundtable was organised by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies in collaboration with the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) and the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC). It relates to the project Red Lines and Grey Zones: Exploring the Ethics of Humanitarian Negotiations, led by Kristoffer Lidén at PRIO.