ABSTRACT
Humanitarian action is a global scale transfer of resources. It is forced to contend with perceptions of power differences. At a superficial level, the issue of power appears to be related by the contrasts among the various cultures and subcultures of those involved. Power is mostly related to the relative ability to influence groups, and, more generally, to the possibility of defining how interventions are implemented and how relief is distributed. The power Western states wield looms large in humanitarian action. Often organizations possess power to influence simply by virtue of the world’s perceived hierarchy of nations and the weight given to wealth.
