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The role of experience and the place of history in the writings of ICRC presidents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 November 2019

Cédric Cotter
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Abstract

Presidents of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) occupy a special position: they are not only direct witnesses to the march of history, but they also participate in it given their prominent role in the humanitarian sphere. This dual status becomes particularly salient when they write about the organization they run. By reviewing the published writings of ICRC presidents, this article analyzes how these individuals combine their personal experience with the organization's history, and the role this history plays in their writing.

Keywords

historymemoryICRCSecond World WarICRC presidents
Type
Reconciliation and (re)writing history: What to remember
Information
International Review of the Red Cross , Volume 101 , Issue 910: Memory and war , April 2019 , pp. 197 - 215
Copyright
Copyright © icrc 2019 

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Footnotes

*

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

References

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2 The years of the presidencies are shown in parentheses. This information was found on the website of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, available at: www.redcross.int/FR/HISTORY/not_pres_icrc.asp (all internet references were accessed in May 2019).

3 For more on this, see Palmieri, Daniel, “To inform or govern? 150 years of the International Review of the Red Cross”, International Review of the Red Cross, Vol. 100, No. 907, 908, 990Google Scholar.

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14 Max Huber, “Le droit des gens et la personne humaine”, in M. Huber, above note 5, pp. 269–294 (Review’s translation).

15 Ibid. (Review’s translation).

16 Léopold Boissier, Nouveaux regards vers la paix, Ed. de la Baconnière, Neuchâtel, 1944, p. 3 (Review’s translation).

17 Ibid., p. 1 (Review’s translation).

18 See his bibliography in the Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, under “Carl J. Burckhardt”, available at: www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/textes/f/F11624.php.

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27 The following published writings contain paragraphs or entire sections about the ICRC's history: L. Boissier, above note 6; Hay, Alexandre, “Le CICR et la Commission indépendante sur les questions humanitaires internationales: Séance inaugurale. Le CICR et les questions humanitaires internationales”, International Review of the Red Cross, Vol. 66, No. 745, 1984Google Scholar; Max Huber, Red Cross and Neutrality, ICRC, Geneva, 1936; M. Huber, above note 5; Max Huber, Das internationale Rote Kreuz: Idee und Wirklichkeit, Max Niehans, Zürich, 1951; Huber, Max, “L'idée de la Croix-Rouge”, International Review of the Red Cross, Vol. 35, No. 413, 1953Google Scholar; Kellenberger, Jakob, “Sixty Years of the Geneva Conventions: Learning from the Past to Better Face the Future: Ceremony to Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, Geneva, 12 August 2009”, International Review of the Red Cross, Vol. 91, No. 875, 2009CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Paul Ruegger, “L'organisation de la Croix-Rouge internationale sous ses aspects juridiques”, in Recueil des cours de l'Académie de droit international 1953, 1953; Cornelio Sommaruga, “Le Droit de Genève: Défi permanent de protéger et respecter”, in La souveraineté au XXIe siècle, Editions Interuniversitaires Suisses, Fribourg, 2004.

28 M. Huber, above note 5; P. Ruegger, above note 27; Sommaruga, Cornelio, “Foreword”, in Moore, Jonathan (ed.), Hard Choices: Moral Dilemmas in Humanitarian Intervention, Rowman and Littlefield, New York, 1998Google Scholar.

29 See the publications by Max Huber cited in note 27.

30 Massimo Lorenzi, Entretiens avec Cornelio Sommaruga, président du CICR, Editions Favre, Lausanne, 1998, p. 107 (Review’s translation).

31 Ibid., p. 119 (Review’s translation).

32 P. Ruegger, above note 27, p. 405.

33 H. Erny, above note 23, p. 87.

34 For more specific examples, see notes 98 to 101.

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37 Ibid., p. 171 (Review’s translation).

38 Ibid., p. 173 (Review’s translation).

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44 G. Moynier, above note 42, p. 8.

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46 G. Moynier, above note 42, p. 75.

47 G. Moynier, above note 45, p. 35 (Review’s translation).

48 “I only knew that he had no positive vocation, but that he held a pen in a bank, and that he was let go because he was unable to write letters in proper French.” Ibid., p. 53 (Review’s translation).

49 Ibid., p. 55 (Review’s translation).

50 Ibid., p. 62 (Review’s translation).

51 Ibid., pp. 62–63 (Review’s translation).

52 These examples are from Guy Bedouelle, “L'humanitaire et le politique, conversation avec Cornelio Sommaruga” Pierre d'Angle, No. 2, April 1996; and M. Lorenzi, above note 30 (Review’s translation).

53 M. Lorenzi, above note 30.

54 Ibid., p. 106 (Review’s translation).

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56 C. Sommaruga, above note 28, pp. ix–xiii.

57 M. Lorenzi, above note 30, p. 201 (Review’s translation).

58 Ibid., pp. 22–23.

59 Ibid., p. 59.

60 Virginie Poyetton, Cornelio Sommaruga: L'humanité en mission, Slatkine, Geneva, 2018, p. 107 (Review’s translation).

61 M. Lorenzi, above note 30, p. 96 (Review’s translation). Sommaruga makes similar statements in V. Poyetton, above note 60, pp. 107–108.

62 M. Lorenzi, above note 30, p. 96 (Review’s translation).

63 H. Erny, above note 23, p. 15.

64 Ibid.

65 “Allocution de Monsieur MARCEL NAVILLE, président de la Fondation pour Genève”, in Jacques Freymond, Continuité d'une politique étrangère: Allocutions et textes, Fondation pour Genève, Geneva, 1982, pp. 7–13.

66 Max Huber, The Good Samaritan: Reflections on the Gospel and Work in the Red Cross, Victor Gollancz, London, 1945, p. 25.

67 G. Moynier, above note 9, p. 3 (Review’s translation).

68 G. Moynier, “Les dix premières années de la Croix-Rouge”, above note 42, p. 76 (Review’s translation).

69 G. Moynier, above note 41, p. 7 (our translation).

70 G. Moynier, above note 9, pp. 21–22 (Review’s translation).

71 Gustave Moynier, La neutralité des militaires blessés et du service de santé des armées, Impr. Toinon, Paris, 1867, p. 18.

72 G. Moynier, above note 45, p. 46 (Review’s translation); G. Moynier, above note 42, p. 3 (Review’s translation).

73 Ibid., p. 62 (Review’s translation).

74 Ibid., p. 36 (Review’s translation).

75 M. Lorenzi, above note 30, p. 20.

76 H. Erny, above note 23, p. 47 (Review’s translation).

77 G. Moynier, Etude sur la Convention de Genève pour l'amélioration du sort des militaies blessés dans les armées en campagne: 1864 et 1868, Geneva, 1870; M. Huber, above note 5; M. Huber, above note 13; P. Ruegger, above note 27.

78 P. Ruegger, above note 27, p. 390 (Review’s translation).

79 Ibid., p. 412 (Review’s translation).

80 If we were to analyze everything the presidents wrote, including their speeches, we would surely find various references to Red Cross historians, including some former delegates.

81 G. Moynier, above note 9, p. 4 (Review’s translation).

82 M. Huber, above note 13, p. 25 (Review’s translation).

83 Gustave Moynier, La Croix-Rouge, son passé et son avenir, ICRC, Geneva, 1882, pp. 254–255 (Review’s translation).

84 G. Moynier, above note 71, p. 40 (Review’s translation).

85 P. Ruegger, above note 27, p. 385 (Review’s translation).

86 Ibid., p. 389 (Review’s translation).

87 J. Kellenberger, above note 27.

88 For example: I. V. Cardia, above note 25.

89 Cornelio Sommaruga, “Préface”, in Pierre Marqués, La Croix-Rouge pendant la guerre d'Espagne (1936–1939): Les missionnaires de l'humanitaire, L'Harmattan, Montreal, 2000, p. 11 (Review’s translation).

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91 Ibid. (Review’s translation).

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93 Ibid., p. xix.

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99 Ibid., p. 378 (Review’s translation).

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103 E. Laurentin, above note 100, p.84-85 (Review’s translation).

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106 P. Maurer, above note 8, pp. 11–12.