Author

Save the others to save oneself? Narrated in first person, El espejismo humanitario collects the author's experiences and thoughts during over three decades of work for humanitarian organizations in a score of armed conflicts, famines, natural disasters and epidemics all over the planet. Humour, sadness, sociological essay and anecdote are the instruments the author uses to dissect and explore the limits of political and moral boundaries, and the difficult relationships between the humanitarian worker and those around him: selfish victims, crooked politicians, touchy journalists, fanatic soldiers and phony altruists. Writing in a provocative and revealing style, Jordi Raich divests humanitarian aid of its underserved aura of sanctity to humanize it and make it more understandable.

ONGistán is the land of humanitarians, a philanthropic species native of a territory without borders, plagued by wars, power games and competition over funding and visibility. The multinationals operating in ONGistán sell to us timeless sought-after products: solidarity and peace of mind in exchange for a donation. ONGistán candidly analyses, from the direct experiences of its author in over 40 countries, the realities on the ground, the lights and shadows of the humanitarian circus, the self-praise devoid of self-criticism, the frustrations amongst aid workers, their disappointment when discovering that planet solidarity can be inhuman and hostile. Digital edition in Kindle, ePub and pdf. Download the book from any online store and you will travel to ONGistán in no time.

El caos sostenible is the Spanish edition of Guerres de plàstic, updated with a new foreword on the Arab Spring Revolution that started in Tunisia and spilled over Libya, Egypt, Yemen, the Persian Gulf and the Middle East. Chaos is sustainable, a key lesson I learnt during decades of work in wars all over the world. Palestinians and Israelis are the paradigm of sustainable chaos. At war for over 70 years in a land of miracles, zeal and violence. A place you love in the morning and hate in the evening. To realize that Palestinians and Israelis will carry on fighting for another 70 years while the world seeks a non-existent solution, frees the spirit. Only then we discover the people, the land and the sentiments that the media's overreporting bluntly ignores.

Bogotá is the heart of Latin American street art. This book compiles 158 works of its creativity of urgency, the fear and fury of a developed country in development, of a nation at war, of violence and coffee, vallenato and coca, individualism and hospitality, museums and criminal gangs, theatres and corruption, shrimps and frying, choking pollution and downpours, multimillionaires and multimiserables, of a land of magic and tragic realism. Love and hate in spray strokes. You can travel to Bogotá: Grafiticity on Amazon Kindle and on any computer, phone or tablet, be it iOS, Mac, PC or Android, by downloading the free Kindle software for your specific device. Click here, to get the app and you will be enjoying the best Colombian Street Art in a few minutes.

Chaos is sustainable: a lesson I learnt during three decades of work in armed conflicts all over the world. And when chaos becomes part of daily life, the future disappears, happiness and sadness are measured in seconds, and existence adapts itself to destiny like water adapts to its container. Palestinians and Israelis are the paradigm of sustainable chaos. At war for more than 70 years in a land of miracles, zeal and violence. A place you love in the morning and hate in the evening. To realize that Palestinians and Israelis will carry on fighting for another 70 years while the world seeks a non-existent solution, frees the spirit. Only then we discover the people, the land and the sentiments that the media's overreporting bluntly ignores.

Between 1994 and 2002, Jordi Raich lived and worked over three years in Afghanistan. During that period of time he was a privileged witness of the birth, rise and fall of the Taliban movement, and met with many of its shadowy leaders and eccentric commanders in cities and in their hideouts. But, first and foremost, Afganistán también existe takes the reader through the passions, worries, contradictions and fears of ordinary Afghans. Its pages depict an array of disparate characters and weird situations, and show how Afghan men and women survive armed conflict, abuse, poverty, violence and despotism with a combination of astuteness, dignity, humour and hospitality. A book full of life, love, irony, wisdom and laughter amid a population and a country in turmoil.

AfganiSatán. A través de un país maldito, is the digital and revised edition of Afganistán también existe. Jordi Raich lived and worked over three years in Afghanistan and was a privileged witness of the birth, rise and fall of the Taliban movement. AfganiSatán depicts an array of disparate characters and weird situations, and shows how ordinary Afghan men and women survive armed conflict, poverty and despotism with a combination of astuteness, humour, dignity and hospitality. You can read this book on Amazon Kindle and on any computer, phone or tablet, be it iOS, Mac, PC or Android, by downloading the free Kindle software for your specific device. Click here, download the app and you will be travelling through AfganiSatán in a few minutes.

In this challenging essay, Jordi Raich analyses the ethical evolution that propelled humanitarianism to the top of the international scene and its star remedy: the humanitarian intervention. He reviews its versions and outcomes: Why taking the side of the victims is a way of taking no sides? Are the provision of relief and the defence of human rights compatible? Is humanitarian intervention the last refuge of humanism? What is more humanitarian to eliminate evil or to do good? This is a revised and updated digital edition you may read on Amazon Kindle and on any computer, phone or tablet, be it iOS, Mac, PC or Android, by downloading the free Kindle software for your device. Click here, to get the specific app and you will be reading this provocative paper in no time.

By reducing Human Rights to the right to be alive, humanitarianism has replaced the ideological discourse to become a substitute for politics and justice. In this provocative essay in bilingual edition, Jordi Raich analyses the ethical evolution that catapulted humanitarianism to the top of the international scene and its star remedy: the humanitarian intervention. The author methodically reviews and dissects its different versions and embarrassing side effects: Why taking the side of the victims has become a way of taking no side at all? Are the provision of relief (humanitarianism) and the defence of human rights (justice) compatible? Why humanitarian intervention is the last refuge of humanism? What is more humanitarian to eliminate evil or to do good?

Co-author

In Bogota's Cathedral, a Spanish humanitarian worker attends Gabriel García Márquez's funeral without a body as a storm of yellow butterflies swirls outside the main plaza. In the jungle, an English anthropologist finds a community fighting to survive in peace. In the Andes, an Australian farmer faces a guava-throwing witch. This anthology, coordinated by C. Doherty de Novoa, V. Kellaway and R. Mc Coll, gathers 26 essays by writers who have lived in Colombia. Filled with magical rain, young lovers and grumpy old men, these stories are very Colombian and universal at once. Available in paperback and Kindle edition you can read on any device, be it iOS, Mac, PC or Android, by downloading the free app. Click here and enjoy these fascinating tales about Gabo and Colombia.

Mujer, todos somos una, is a visual and literary testimony about the discrimination, inequality, exclusion and violence endured by millions of women from different cultures in armed conflicts and natural disasters all over the world. About women facing intolerance and abuse that often lead to their mutilation, disappearance or death because of their gender. This book collects exceptional images full of candid looks that ask for help and condemn injustice, often with a stolen smile in the midst of desolation. Over 40 personalities of the Spanish cultural life: journalists, writers, celebrities such as Alfonso Armada, Julia Navarro, Mónica Bernabé, Rosa Maria Calaf and Jordi Raich provide words of inspiration to the moving portraits by photographer Francisco Magallón.

The advent of the so-called Global War on Terror, and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, caused widespread protests all over the world. In the confused political and social context of the XXI century, this book is an attempt to denounce double standards and to reveal the reality and the inconsistencies behind the lies. War correspondents, writers, essayists and political analysts put forward their arguments to say No to war in an attempt to give back to words the truth and honesty so many try to snatch away. Edited by Dolors González and with a preface by Maruja Torres, this collection includes essays by Alfonso Armada, Bru Rovira, Magda Bandera, Rafael Ramos, Antonio Lafuente, Manuel Leguineche, Vicente Partal, Ferran Sales, Suso de Toro and Jordi Raich.

From the preface by Maruja Torres: "A book written with urgency, but with no haste. With a sense of opportunity, but without opportunism. A book full of reasons, written by experienced reporters. Vital words to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the Truth, the first victim of conflict. Each chapter shows one face of this troubling prism. And, once finished, we realize that we have received an honest and passionate lesson against war." Correspondents, writers and political analysts put forward their arguments to say No to war in an attempt to give back to words the truth so many try to snatch away. Edited by D. González, it includes essays by A. Armada, B. Rovira, M. Bandera, R. Ramos, A. Lafuente, M. Leguineche, V. Partal, F. Sales, S. de Toro and J. Raich.

Is it true that military operations provide a safer environment to humanitarian action and better access to populations in need? Modern humanitarianism is characterized by its independence, impartiality and neutrality. However, military operations respond, by definition, to political and economic national interests. Two opposed and yet interconnected realities that create tensions on the ground and worries amongst many humanitarian agencies and aid workers. A challenge that deserves further analysis and debate. This compilation of essays, edited by Alejando Pozo and Sabina Puig, includes contributions of experts on the issues at stake such as Carlos Taibo, Itziar Ruiz-Giménez, Arcadi Oliveres, Francisco Rey, Pablo Muelas, Xabier Aguirre and Jordi Raich.

Conflict prevention is a challenging concept for the media because journalists work most of the time on current affairs and breaking news, not really trying to change the course of events in the mid‑long term. Yet, the media can also play a pivotal role in conflict prevention by providing swift and reliable information about emerging or potential conflicts to local and external actors. This knowledge is vital to understand the feasibility and possibilities of conflict prevention. This volume, edited by Mariano Aguirre, José Manuel Pureza and Francisco Ferrándiz, compiles contributions by researchers from German, British, Spanish and Portuguese universities, journalists, and experts from humanitarian and human rights agencies such as UNHCR, IEACH and HRW.

This book explores the extremely complex relationship between the media and armed conflicts in different continents. The debates take the reader through three fundamental challenges: knowledge and information; right to information and news manipulation; and war and peace journalism. Fogo sobre os media puts around the table academics, activists, decision‑makers and journalists and invites them to engage in an in‑depth discussion, share their experiences and face their own ambiguities and contradictions. Edited by José Manuel Pureza and Francisco Ferrándiz, Fogo sobre os media gathers essays by M. Aguirre, S. Ryan, M. Sollenberg, E. Markiewicz, L. Bizimana, J. Steele, P. Caldeira, R. Hudson, M. Salamanca and J. Raich, amongst others.

Armed conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa have a catastrophic human, political and economic impact. Their consequences directly affect the lives of millions of persons, the natural resources, infrastructure and development of many countries. African wars are rooted in the distortions created by the colonial system and fuelled by social inequalities, injustice, poor democratic institutions, corruption and foreign interventions. Thus, the African continent is being forced into the global world in an unfair and dependent way. Edited by M. Aguirre and C. Bruhn, this thorough book includes works by researchers and experts on the ground such as J. Vera, R. Meneses, M. González, C. Gourlay, F. Almansa, P. Escudero, J. Ocharán, I. Tamarit, D. Sogge and Jordi Raich.

Editor

This book aims at enriching the quality of the humanitarian debate while analysing the challenges, dilemmas and contradictions of humanitarianism and its actors. Amongst other topics, El laberinto humanitario explores the moral values that guide us, the finances of the non‑profit sector, the health crisis and the prevention of conflicts. A very lucid and stimulating volume written by relief workers, politicians, donors, journalists, philosophers, anthropologists and military officers. Edited by Jordi Raich and Rafael Vila‑San Juan, this collection compiles essays by reputed experts like Rony Brauman, Aurelio Arteta, Serge Malé, Vicenç Fisas, Mbyi Kabunda, Alberto Navarro, Miguel Bayón, Trudy Harpham, Stephan Oberreit, Virgilio Sañudo, Mariano Aguirre and David Bassiouni.