ABSTRACT
Refugee relief implies the presence of war, arid thus inherently requires evaluating enemies and making moral judgments. The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) with its policy of nonalignment has perhaps been most successful at dealing with some questions. It does this by taking a view that it is in the business of providing impartial assistance and makes no judgments about those they assist. Their reputation for "strict neutrality" permits ICRC to negotiate with distasteful regimes existing in the very real in-between areas created by principles of national sovereignty ICRC's assumption is that their presence prevents more violence than a lack of presence implied by strong political judgments about warring protagonists. But the moral issues involved in refugee relief are far more than general judgments about worthiness. Fundamental to current definitions of refugees is the question of what responsibilities and rights individuals have vis-à-vis the state or a broader humanity.
