Catastrophic Diplomacy: US Foreign Disaster Assistance in the American Century

Catastrophic Diplomacy is a book that explores US foreign disaster assistance, highlighting its role in twentieth-century US foreign relations. It spans seventy years, from the dawn of the twentieth century to the mid-1970s, and examines how the US government, US military, and voluntary sector responded to major catastrophes worldwide. The book focuses on US responses to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tropical storms, and floods, and demonstrates the complex and messy politics of emergency humanitarian relief. It shows how US disaster aid became a tool of foreign policy and assesses the broader international context in which the US government and its auxiliaries operated. Ultimately, the book demonstrates the importance of international disaster assistance to US foreign affairs.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 09 January 2024
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

Catastrophic Diplomacy provides a comprehensive historical account of the United States' foreign disaster assistance, underscoring its pivotal role in twentieth-century U.S. foreign relations. Spanning over seventy years, from the dawn of the twentieth century to the mid-1970s, the book explores how the U.S. government, U.S. military, and their partners in the American voluntary sector responded to major catastrophes across the globe. With a particular focus on responses to sudden disasters caused by earthquakes, tropical storms, and floods, historian Julia F. Irwin delves into the intricate and often chaotic politics of emergency humanitarian relief.

By skillfully interweaving diplomatic, environmental, military, and humanitarian histories, Irwin traces the evolution of U.S. disaster aid as a tool of foreign policy. She demonstrates how and why the U.S. foreign policy establishment initially ventured into providing aid to survivors of international catastrophes. While the book primarily concentrates on bilateral assistance efforts, it also assesses the broader international context in which the U.S. government and its auxiliaries operated, situating their humanitarian responses against the aid efforts of other nations, empires, and international organizations.

At its core, Catastrophic Diplomacy underscores the significance of international disaster assistance and humanitarian aid more broadly in U.S. foreign affairs. The book serves as a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, and anyone interested in understanding the complex dynamics of disaster response and the role of the United States in shaping global humanitarian efforts.

Weight: 272g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781469676234