Disaster Diplomacy After 20 Years

Does dealing with disasters create peace, harmony, and cooperation—or conflict?

Written by Ilan Kelman

Originally published at https://www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/disaster-choice/202010/disaster-diplomacy-after-20-years

Should disasters bring us together to help each other?

Source: Ilan Kelman

A disaster strikes and an enemy leaps to the rescue, with everyone overjoyed that a new dawn of peace rises over the shattered landscape. Or so the theory of disaster diplomacy hopes for. In reality, it does not seem to work.

To understand how and why this conclusion manifests, connections have long been studied among (i) peace, cooperation, conflict, and war, and (ii) pre-disaster activities such as prevention and risk reduction, plus post-disaster actions such as humanitarian aid, response, and recovery. The specific phrase “disaster diplomacy” did not appear much in research before 2000, being used instead by mainly practitioners and media.

To read the full article, please visit https://www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/disaster-choice/202010/disaster-diplomacy-after-20-years