Let me begin with a personal reminiscence. Like many others, I vividly recall the day of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in February 1990. It was the eve of my departure to Rwanda for a three-month assignment for Oxfam. I was at home watching television. I still recall the excited anticipation of Mandela’s walk to freedom, the overwhelming sense of achievement (utterly insignificant though my own part in the South African struggle had been), the tears of jubilation when he finally appeared. ‘He did it! He did it!’ I cried, punching the air. I well know that my feelings were heightened by apprehension of the challenges I anticipated facing in Rwanda, though these were as nothing compared with what I was actually to experience. Nevertheless, I was conscious of sharing an extraordinary moment with millions of sympathisers around the world.
With hindsight, I wonder whether this was the last time the world community united effectively behind a just cause (though one should not overrate or idealise the role of external actors in