An Analysis of ASEAN’s Cyclone Nargis 2008 Disaster Diplomacy

Abstract

Cyclone Nargis in 2008 is remembered as one of the deadliest disasters of modern Southeast Asia. Myanmar suffered the greatest losses of the states in the region, with more than a hundred thousand deaths and millions affected. The present research examines the events of the storm in a disaster diplomacy context. The methodological framework of the study is the Complex Adaptive System, which is applied through four properties and three mechanisms. According to the results, Cyclone Nargis hit the region in a cold international environment, and its treatment ended with a (to some extent) successful regional diplomatic outcome after easing the initial abstention. Among the variables of the CAS method, nonlinearity and aggregation, as well as internal model and building blocks, determined regional cooperation. The present case study shows that an extremely severe natural disaster is capable of promoting regional cooperation despite the actual cold political environment.