From the 19th-century abolitionist movement to today's NGOs, a critical account of humanitarianism in world politics.

Michael Barnett is University Professor of International Affairs and Political Science at The George Washington University. He is author of Eyewitness to a Genocide and coeditor of Humanitarianism in Question, both from Cornell.

This is a history of humanitarianism—its ideas, practices, problems, and institutions. Whereas most other accounts of humanitarianism focus on recent initiatives, Barnett begins his historical account with the antislavery and missionary movements of the 19th century. He argues that humanitarianism has gone through three distinct stages: the imperial form (1800–1945), the neohumanitarian form (1945–89), and the liberal form (1989–present), with most institutional development occurring in the post-WW II era.... A strength of this study is that it critiques humanitarian initiatives in light of the historical conditions in which such activities take place. This nuanced, compelling book is strongly recommended. Summing Up: Highly recommended for all readership levels.

G. John Ikenberry:

One of the most striking features of world politics in the last 200 years was the rise of humanitarianism.... Barnett paints an expansive portrait of that ascent... [contending] that humanitarianism is a 'creature of the world it aspires to civilize,' rather than some sort of abstract ideal.... In making that argument, he includes rich details about the visionaries, missionaries, transnational activists, UN agencies, and democracies that intervened in such places as Nigeria, Cambodia, and Kosovo.

Daniela Nascimento:

Michael Barnett'sEmpire of Humanity: a History of Humanitarianismprovides an insightful analysis of humanitarianism and humanitarian action focusing on its evolution and globalization especially after World War II.. This is thus a fundamental book for all those who work with humanitarian issues, both academics and practitioners, since it not only explores with rigor and detail the main trends of humanitarian action, but also because it sheds light on the most urgent and important challenges and dilemmas to be addressed when it comes to reinforcing and improving the international humanitarian system.

Melissa Labonte:

Michael Barnett... through careful historical investigation and analysis... deftly addresses key dilemmas whose roots run deep throughout humanitarianism's history but which are often attributed to contemporary emergency relief and development, including the tensions between humanitarian principles and politics, the effects of market influences on humanitarianism, and the nature of humanitarianism’s power over others.... Ultimately Empire of Humanity reminds us that while faith in the humanitarian imperative is crucial to realizing moral progress, the power of compassion can result in colossal failings. These failings, however, do not mean that humanitarianism is a hapless enterprise. Rather, they are the turning points that mark incremental advances, reform, and innovation that will enable humanitarian actors to not just be good but also to genuinely do good.

Samuel Moyn, Columbia University, author of The Last Utopia: Human Rights in History:

The ability to respond to the pain of a suffering world means neither to believe in oneself blindly nor to doubt oneself into paralysis. This subtle truth emerging from the epoch of humanitarianism, as Michael Barnett panoramically reconstructs it, takes the field to an entirely new level of sophistication and reflection. Synthesizing disparate research into the past of transnational compassion, Barnett's outstanding book returns to history to make a major contribution to the study of international politics and lay the ground for a future in which sympathy and self-questioning depend on one another.

Didier Fassin, James D. Wolfensohn Professor in the School of Social Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study, and co-author of The Empire of Trauma: An Inquiry into the Condition of Victimhood:

Returning to the Western sources of humanitarianism, Michael Barnett offers a history in the longue durée, from the antislavery movement to contemporary killing fields and refugee camps. His lucid and honest analysis of the ideologies and practices, ambitions and engagements, ambiguities and contradictions of the humanitarian movement questions the moral foundations of our politics of compassion.

Andrew Natsios, Georgetown University, former vice president of World Vision U.S. (1993–1998) and administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (2001–2006):

Michael Barnett takes the reader on a fascinating intellectual journey through the rich and little known history of humanitarianism, its roots in religious tradition, and its ambiguous and conflict-ridden relationship with diplomacy and military power. Empire of Humanity is a great read that explains much about why the humanitarian enterprise has ended up where it now; it is thoughtful, well written, and nuanced.

Peter Walker, Irwin H. Rosenberg Professor of Nutrition and Human Security and Director of the Feinstein International Center, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University:

Michael Barnett has pulled off a tour de force with his new book, Empire of Humanity. He unpacks the history, myth, and manipulation of this endeavor, from the founding myths way back in that first period of globalization in the nineteenth century, through the world wars and the cold war to the complexity of today's operations. Barnett shows how humanitarianism has always been intractably tied up with the liberal aspirations of the day and the political necessity for projecting foreign policy, and how the internal angst over whether to save lives and remain neutral or to commit to challenging the causes of inhumanity, has always divided the humanitarian church. This is a solid, highly readable analytical history, standing in stark contrast to many recent works high on cynicism and hype but low on fact.

Bertrand Taithe, University of Manchester:

It has been an immense pleasure to read Michael Barnett's Empire of Humanity. This well-paced and lucid book is the political history against which every other account of humanitarianism will have to be measured. Barnett opens up the field of humanitarianism for further study in a manner that few could emulate. This book has breadth and depth. It is scholarly and yet immensely readable—anyone interested in NGOs, volunteers, practitioners, and policymakers will need to read this text to make sense of humanitarian aid today. An indispensable book.

Stephen Hopgood, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, author of Keepers of the Flame: Understanding Amnesty International:

In Empire of Humanity, Michael Barnett gives a critical history and a contemporary account of humanitarian practice. Each phase is differentiated by the particular sociohistorical combination of three sets of forces—destruction (states and warfare), production (capitalism), and compassion (norms in international relations). Barnett surveys the variety of dilemmas humanitarians have faced and the choices they have made; his compelling account is the most comprehensive and sophisticated single-volume analysis of the history and practice of humanitarianism currently available.