BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

ASIAN TSUNAMI: ECONOMICIMPACTS AND THE POLITICS OF HUMANITARIAN AID

Author: Segufta Hossain & Mohammad Ashique Rahman

DOI Link: DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2005v26n3a4

ABSTRACT

The article studies the economic impacts of the Asian Tsunami focusing mainly on the macroeconomic impacts, and identifies the ramifications of disaster aid diplomacy and politics involving the relief and rehabilitation efforts by various agents. Despite widespread devastation claiming thousands of lives,infrastructural damage and environmental degradation, the macroeconomic impacts of the calamity were less severe than anticipated. On the other hand, it is argued that, other than the humanitarian assistance, the relief and rehabilitation efforts involved intense disaster assistance diplomacy both atthe global and regional levelsby the sole superpower and other major world powers to express their strength and superiority. Furthermore, the ethnic conflicts in Sri Lanka and the separatist movements in Indonesia complicated the relief and rehabilitationefforts by donors, NGOs and international relief agencies exacerbating the miseries of the affected poor people in the region.