„It Floods Everything in Its Path” – A Disaster Diplomacy Analysis of the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami

Abstract

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami was the result of a highly complex process that involved the release of enormous amounts of seismic energy. Although the magnitude of neither the earthquake nor the tsunami was unprecedented, due to the size of the affected area, the height above sea level, the size and density of the local population, as well as the unpreparedness of the risk management, the disaster can be identified as the most destructive catastrophe of humanity. The present research examines the events of the 2004 tsunami in the context of Southeast Asian disaster diplomacy. The methodological framework of the study is the complex adaptive system (CAS) method, which is applied in the analysis of complex adaptive systems through four properties and three mechanisms. Among the variables of the CAS method, the property of diversity as well as the mechanism of building blocks determined regional cooperation. The natural disaster of 2004 demonstrates well that the member states of the Association of Southeast Nations are capable of disaster cooperation despite the unsuccessful protection measures.