Following humanitarian wars, multinational forces incur an obligation to rebuild. As international donors and local authorities rebuilt healthcare services in Iraq and Afghanistan, life expectancy and vaccination rates increased while infant and maternal mortality decreased. Using health to enhance state-building, however, was less successful. State-building is an ambitious undertaking that requires legitimacy, governance, essential services, and human security. Although health care can foster trust between the government and its citizens, Iraq and Afghanistan show only slight progress toward constructing secure, stable nations. War-torn countries, however, are not the only eligible recipients for reconstruction aid. Any severely fragile and destitute state has a claim for assistance and healthcare aid against the international community. To get the most of their resources, therefore, donor states must apportion aid to those states with the best chances of providing their citizens with a decent and dignified life.
Sustaining Human Security at Sea: The Role of Private Military Security Companies and Naval Assets