The Challenges and Efficacy of International Organizations in the Context of Russia’s War in Ukraine

Abstract

International organizations (IOs) demonstrate both agency and pathologies in their humanitarian work. IOs’ operations in war zones hinge on their ability to gain access to vulnerable groups and sites. Such access differs depending on the type of regime the organizations engage with. Working with more transparent and democratic authorities or more closed governments explains the efficacy of some humanitarian efforts and pathological outcomes in others. This essay describes the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Ukraine during 2022 and 2023. Both organizations had more successful outcomes working with the Ukrainian authorities, but they partially failed to fulfill the mandate (ICRC) or were largely restricted in their work (IAEA, ICRC) on Russian controlled territories. This project shows that action by international organizations is possible even in unprecedented scenarios of war. However, working with non-democratic Russian authorities may also lead to pathological outcomes for international organizations, such as the death of detainees whose safe passage the ICRC negotiated, or Russian manipulation of the IAEA monitoring access to a nuclear site with compromised safety. Such stories call for more self-reflectivity on the part of IOs about potential pathological outcomes and courage for ethical action during Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.