"In the Selfish Altruist, Tony Vaux brings over 20 years' experience as one of Oxfam's leading emergency programmes coordinators to a far-reaching and unflinching account of the conflicts between subjective impulses and objective judgement. Describing and analysing some of the most traumatic crisis situations of the last two decades, he helps us to understand what it takes to be an aid worker and how important humanitarian action is today."--BOOK JACKET.