Damned If You Do

Would you give aid to a government that kills its own people? Ellen Goldstein's thought-provoking memoir explores difficult questions about doing right as democracies teeter and the rule of law erodes. Goldstein goes to Myanmar (formerly Burma) to lead one of the world's fastest-growing aid programs amid great optimism for the country's future. Within weeks of her arrival, the military razes villages, kills members of the Rohingya minority, and sends three-quarters of a million refugees fleeing. As Goldstein searches for ways to help the Rohingya, she is caught in the crosshairs of an indifferent government, a risk-averse bureaucracy, and outraged activists. With her career in jeopardy, and haunted by the Holocaust lessons of her childhood, she strives to do right even as her hopes for democracy in Myanmar are dimmed and then brutally crushed. Damned If You Do is a cautionary tale for aid workers, diplomats, and everyone committed to making our world a better place.

Would you give aid to a government that kills its own people? Ellen Goldstein's thought-provoking memoir explores difficult questions about doing right as democracies teeter and the rule of law erodes. Goldstein goes to Myanmar (formerly Burma) to lead one of the world's fastest-growing aid programs amid great optimism for the country's future. Within weeks of her arrival, the military razes villages, kills members of the Rohingya minority, and sends three-quarters of a million refugees fleeing. As Goldstein searches for ways to help the Rohingya, she is caught in the crosshairs of an indifferent government, a risk-averse bureaucracy, and outraged activists. With her career in jeopardy, and haunted by the Holocaust lessons of her childhood, she strives to do right even as her hopes for democracy in Myanmar are dimmed and then brutally crushed. Damned If You Do is a cautionary tale for aid workers, diplomats, and everyone committed to making our world a better place.

Ellen Goldstein is an award-winning former senior executive at the World Bank with a forty-year career on the front lines of foreign aid delivery. She provided billions of dollars in aid to some of the poorest, most fragile, conflict-ridden countries, advising presidents and prime ministers on growth and poverty reduction while reaching out to the most marginalized in society. She served as director of the World Bank in Myanmar in 2017 as the country clung to a flawed democracy amid increasing human rights abuse. She is a global leadership coach, author, and speaker on foreign aid policies and fragility.