Concepts and connections of war and humanitarianism -- The lexicon -- War's impact on humanitarianism : triggering crises and eliciting responses -- Humanitarianism's influence on war : inspiring norms and altering outcomes -- Change and continuity in war and humanitarianism -- Putting the lenses together -- Foundations -- The rise of interstate war -- The birth of the international humanitarian system -- The founding era in historical perspective -- "New wars"? -- So, what's new? -- Fragmented authority and meaningless borders : a new locus -- The proliferation of nonstate actors : new agents -- Illegal economies, plunder, and aid : new economies -- The prevalence of civilian casualties: new targets and victims -- The revolution in military affairs : new technologies -- Windows on war : new media power -- "New wars" in historical perspective -- "New humanitarianisms" -- So, what's new? -- Creating space and access -- Engagement dilemmas : negotiating access with agents -- Economies of war, economies of aid -- The responsibility to protect war victims and aid personnel-- Taming deadly technologies -- Maximizing media attention to humanitarian crises -- "New humanitarianisms" in historical perspective -- Humanitarianism and collective action -- The panacea of "coordination" -- Three threads of collective action: cooperation, centralization, and integration -- Divergent perceptions of needs, priorities, and sequences -- Differences in tactical engagements -- The value of independent and diverse operations -- The blowback from insecurity -- Institutional rivalries -- Collective pursuits and "atomized" action -- Making sense of Afghanistan and Iraq -- So, what's really new? -- Humanitarian crises in Afghanistan and Iraq -- Hybrid wars on terrorism and for empire -- Al Qaeda as spoiler and hostile aid recipients -- Big business in oil, war, and reconstruction -- Conspicuous economic interests in relief and protection -- Acute security threats to aid personnel and journalists -- High technology versus high-enough technology -- The international spotlight -- The collective and cumulative challenges of turf wars -- Humanitarian strategic thinking-- and doing -- Assessing change in humanitarianism : the case for strategic thinking and doing -- Learning cultures and adaptation : military institutions versus humanitarian agencies -- Strategic review : humanitarian power and position -- Sharpening strategies and crafting capacities -- Soothing tomorrow's wars with stronger salves?.