Commonly referred to as Doctors Without Borders, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), is a humanitarian non-governmental organization running projects majorly in war-torn and developing nations affected by prevalent diseases. The organization was formed in 1971 and has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Principal founders include Jacques Beres, Raymond Borel, and Jean Cabrol among others (Simeant, J. 2014, 521). The establishment of the organization came as a response to the collateral loss of human lives during and after the Nigerian conflict that ended in 1971. A team of doctors and journalists came together to lament on the poor working conditions and lack of adequate medical care during the Nigerian conflict (Fox, R. 2014, 6). Although the charter of the organization has continued to change of the course of time, it has maintained its objective of providing relief to persons in distress, victims of war, and assistance to war-torn regions. The support has often come and been delivered to areas and individuals irrespective of race, sex, political affiliation, and religious faith. According to Fox, R. (2014, 7), it was not long for the creation of the organization as there had been several incidences of confrontation between the French journalists and doctors and the Nigerian counterparts during the war. In its basic operations, the organization has a team of doctors, medical practitioners, administrators, sanitation experts, nurses, and logistics professionals who provide medication and necessary logistics all over the world and majorly in affected countries. The total numbers of professionals of various fields are over 30,000 including augmented services from independent institutions and bodies. These services have proved instrumental to the achievement of the organization's objectives in the major areas of concern such as in rescue missions and logistics services. Behind their professional outfits and performance, the majority of the experts are volunteers with the organization relying on funding, corporate donations, and personal contributions to run its US$2 billion annual budget (Cenciarelli, O. 2015, 4).
The organization was established behind the backdrop of the necessity for medical care beyond regional and national boundaries. MFS is managed from four operational centers that include Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, and Brussels. It has 23 association divisions based in different parts of the world such as MSF UK, MSF France, MSF U.S.A, and MFS Australia. Over the years, Medecins Sans Frontieres has operated and managed its affairs with less political, economic, and religious influence, especially in its policymaking. The general code to perform with less political control has enabled it to run smoothly with a greater focus on its critical mission of providing medical care to victims (Cenciarelli, O. 2015, 7). Despite the challenges in reaching out to victims in targeted regions, the organization has operated independently and utilized international appeal and assistance in meeting its key objectives and saving millions of lives (Fitzpatrick, G. 2015, 1753)
The organization has been involved in and carried out some of the most daring rescue mission in addition to humanitarian services. For example, its quick response to the cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone saved thousands of the lives of children and women who were most affected (Cenciarelli, O. 2015, 14). Additionally, some of the most important operations that the organization has undertaken in the recent past include the Rwandan genocide, humanitarian support, and health care infrastructure in South Sudan. In Sierra Leone, the organization showed up an aggressive medication to women and children who were suffering from anemia, cholera, and tuberculosis in the early 1990s. Despite fundamental challenges in meeting its objectives, the organization has kept up with its tempo in saving lives, quick response, and keeping the focus on promoting and advocating for healthy environmental conditions.
When analyzed from the constructivism theory, Doctors Without Borders is a result of global environment, whereby those who volunteer, despite their profession scrutinize their surroundings in a universal context, picking up the unlawful acts, then taking their position to take action and bring some form of relief to whatever is going on. It thus brings forth that a medical practitioner from a region where health services are provided for without charges may have the desire to come in between and provide the same services in areas where they are lacking and inaccessible (Redfield, P. 2013, 37). Through experience and knowledge building, the organization has formulated its activities and mantra in having collections of experiences that has continued to enable it to focus on its key mandate of saving lives through and by humanitarian assistance. Additionally, a reporter is needed to provide for the service of relaying information to the entire world on exactly what is going on (Fitzpatrick, G. 2015, 1757). Underlying dynamics for the organization seems to be secretly silent, as it has taken the approach of reporting occurrences of significant worldly concerns such as genocides, mass killings, political segregations, and ethnic cleansing in different parts of the world. Its reporting has thus come under sharp focus in which it has run into trouble with regimes, regional authorities, and governments. The move supports liberalism perspective that focuses on advancing the organization's liberal objectives through and by involving global attention to some of its essential humanitarian operations (Fox, R. 2014, 47). For example, medical practitioners who were stationed and practiced in Myanmar were expelled when it occurred that some members of the organization were in collaboration with the Serbian regime during the Kosovo catastrophe. Despite the fact that the move did not go well with the organization, it pushed its involvement in humanitarian operation a notch higher in the global perspective. The organization refuted claims of its involvement with the Serbian regime, emphasizing that it was committed to following on its key mandate of humanitarian activities (Simeant, J. 2014, 522).
When receiving the Noble Peace price in 1999, the president of the organization took note that silence on the ongoing atrocities against innocent citizens cannot save lives and emphasized that the organization is taking a central role in informing the world of some of the most gruesome crimes committed by regimes, and wars. He, however, emphasized that the organization cannot stop genocide nor war but can involve in saving lives through humanitarian support (Cenciarelli, O. 2015, 34). Based on its liberal stand on managing its affairs, the organization has helped to foster local and global corporation, interaction, and assistance in which countries close to regions of conflict take in refugees and help with logistics of managing the conflict. These are a move that is in line with the organization's primary focus on learning, gathering information, analyzing, and troubleshooting environmental challenges that threaten human life.
Unlike liberalism viewpoint that focuses on shaping policy implementation towards international cooperation, constructivism hypothesis has enabled the organization to broaden its activities to include providing information to the world on the situation in war-torn regions or disease outbreak. For example, during the early 1990s when cholera broke out in Sierra Leone, Doctors without borders were the first to arrive in the most affected areas. They carried out medical tests, feasibility study, and the prevalence of the outbreak. They kept the world in the know with their findings, an act that helped other international organizations to offer assistance and aid (Sheather, J. 2016, 45). Despite the fact that the organization has often found itself at loggerheads with governments and regional regimes, their effort to reporting keeping the world informed has enabled it to maintain its focus on international cooperation and working together. For instance, after it gave out its post analysis report on the Cholera outbreak in Sierra Lione, primary and fundamental organization that had no idea came forth to help the country combat the scourge. From a constructivism perspective, the organization has kept pace with international affairs, providing critical information that may not be available for the media house, keeping governments informed pending catastrophes' in waiting, and providing logistical support to key international organizations who may also be involved in similar activities. For example, from the liberalism perspective, the organization has forged a constructive working relationship with the Red Cross Society, a move that has seen their effort in international humanitarian aid reach many victims of war, disease, and natural calamities.
Slightly different from the constructivism theory, a view of the organization's activities from a liberalism theory can point to a determination of the organization to promote regional peace and cooperation in addition to fight life-threatening diseases. The liberal ideas and ideologies of the society have enabled it to focus on its core mandate of information dispensation and keeping the world informed on some of the most pertinent issues such as hunger in third world countries. Its ability to analyze, gather, and synthesize information has enabled it to trigger the conscious of global leaders in addressing and trying to find solutions to widespread global problems such as hunger, regional conflicts, and poverty. However, considering the liberalism viewpoint, the organization has often been accused of meddling in local politics and taking political sides in conflict regions. For instance, Israel and Nigeria refused entry of the organization into their countries due to perceived involvement in political activities and favoritism. This notion has often portrayed the organization in a bad light as many countries have failed to recognize its efforts in humanitarian operations but as a political conduit serving in the interest of undisclosed parties and nations (Fox, R. 2014, 56). However, on the other hand, from the constructivism point of view, the organization has fared well in providing for valid and commendable information, a feat that has seen it win many volunteers in many of its operations and fields of interest.
When analyzed from liberalism viewpoint, it can be stated that humanitarian interventions remain a central duty of every human being and everyone including governments and organizations have the responsibility to involve in keeping the key objectives of the organization in focus. It is observable that liberalism connotation appears to remain the reason for the establishment and creation of Doctors Without Borders (Fitzpatrick, G. 2015, 1761). The founding charter of the organization stated that irrespective of political affiliation, nationality, race, or gender, it is a right to get proper healthcare. According to the liberal strategies of the organization (that focuses on the moral grounds and values to ensure for corporate growth), it is possible to argue that the organization is only interested in moving forward with its liberal foreign strategy. According to Fitzpatrick, (2015, 1762), the strategy is focused on nations afflicted by war and diseases since stated goals have been anticipated and fruitfully carried out in developed countries such as the European countries. For example, the previous French president has often argued in support of the funds channeled to the organization despite austerity measures and budget cuts over the past ten years.
The organization has focused its attention on shaping its state policies, creating International Corporation, and rejecting politic...
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