Guilt by association: Restricting humanitarian assistance in the name of counterterrorism

Abstract In certain contexts associated with counterterrorism, some governments and military forces have stigmatized civilians, not because of the acts they perform but rather from loose associations groups perceived as “terrorists”, based on geographical proximity or common social, ethnic religious backgrounds. Access to humanitarian assistance has been affected by this stigmatization, in specific areas it blocked, restricted, made conditional undermined. This article draws recent literature examples argue that counterterrorism frameworks practices inhibited impartial delivery aid all populations.