This is a Master degree Paper developed by Thorsten Volberg, email: Thor.Volberg@gmx.net for the European Master’s Degree in International Humanitarian Assistance Ruhr-University of Bochum, Academic Year 2005/2006. The paper is published with ISBN: 978-3-8364-1183-7.

This paper examines the difficult realities in a heterogenic humanitarian environ­ment, by addressing all the complex legal and political issues surrounding an emergency, including the impact of external actors like donors, host governments, and armed forces. It therefore provides a realistic understanding of the possibili­ties and limits of traditional principles, rethinks their value in current crisis re­sponses, and delineates the attempt to create and clarify new ones. In this regard, the paper further analyzes the ‘Sphere’ process, which commits participating agencies to act in accordance to these principles, on how far it is taking political influences on humanitarian aid into consideration, and can thus actually be seen as a reasonable guideline for relief organizations in the 21^st century.