LINDA POLMAN

En los últimos años, la televisión ha difundido imágenes de Cascos Azules descendiendo en paracaídas sobre países azotados por guerras con la tarea de"mantener la paz". Pero, ¿qué ocurre realmente cuando llegan al frente? Linda Polman, una destacada periodista holandesa, testigo directo de las misiones que realizan las tropas de la ONU en Somalia, Haiti, Ruanda y Sierra Leona, ha visto soldados atemorizados, indigenas indiferentes y mercenarios sin escrupulos. Su experiencia durante la mision de la ONU en Ruanda en 1995 cambio radicalmente su manera de pensar al convertirse en testigo de la matanza de unos cuatro mil refugiados en el campo de Kibeho,episodio que narra en este libro. De brazos cruzados es un libro adecuado para tiempos confusos. Un brillante y conmovedor texto que arroja luz y datos concretos sobre la manipulacion que sufre la ONU por parte de los paises mas poderosos de la tierra, al tiempo que explica con precision la influencia de sus resoluciones tanto en las unidades militares destacadas en las zonas de conflicto como en las personas que padecen lascrisis y sus consecuencias. Lo que Despachos de guerra de Michael Herr significo en la era de Vietnam, de los hippies y la guerra fria, significa este libro en la era de las misiones de paz de nuestra epoca . Evening Standard Linda Polman hace una denuncia apasionada del modo en que funciona la ONU en situaciones de crisis... Su libro es un pequeño clasico de la inhumanidad del hombre con el hombre. The Sunday Telegraph

Throughout the 1990s our government and its partners in the UN stood by and watched whilst thousands of people were slaughtered. From the war zones of Somalia and Haiti to Rwanda, a lack of resources and trained troops, and the disregard of governments such as our own, ensured the UN peacekeepers were unable to halt murder and genocide. Time and again Linda Polman was witness to these failures. From the terrifying ordeals of the unsupported blue helmets on the ground to the cynical way resolutions are made and undermined by the Security Council, Polman devastatingly shows how and why the UN fails those whom it is charged to protect.

From Rwanda to Afghanistan, from Sudan to Iraq, this devastating expose shows how the humanitarian aid industry, the media and warmongers are locked in a cycle of mutual dependency on battlefields around the world. Polman shines a light on the multibillion dollar juggernaut that is todays humanitarian aid network. A disturbing account that raises profound questionsFinancial TimesOne of the finest reporting journalists of the modern age - Polman is gutsy, intellectually penetrating and far from naiveEvening StandardCool, brusque, fearless. A marvellous accountGuardian

Linda Polmans We Did Nothing: Why the truth doesnt always come out with the UN goes in is an eye-opening account of peace-keeping operations across the globe.In recent years our newspapers and televisions have brought us stories of the failure of the UN to keep the peace in the modern world. How often have our journalists, our politicians and charity workers turned around and accused the UN of weakness in the face of violence? During the 1990s Polman visited UN peacekeeping missions in Somalia, Haiti and Rwanda to try to understand how resolutions are made and how the peace is lost. The result is this extraordinary, disturbing and utterly compelling book. We Did Nothing shows what the resolutions mean for the people who must live in these battle fields, and for the UN soldiers who are sent to bring order to the terrifying chaos.A small classic of mans inhumanity to manSunday TelegraphOne of the most affecting pieces of writing about mans inhumanity this side of Primo LeviGuardianWhat Michael Herrs Dispatches was to war in the era of Vietnam, this is to the peace keeping era of the ninetiesEvening Standard Linda Polman has been a freelance journalist for Dutch radio, television and newspapers. Since the publication of her book in Holland Polman has lectured to government, military and academic audiences throughout the region. She currently lives in Sierra Leone.