Geography of Disaster, Coordination for Relief and Conflict Resolution: A Case of Kashmir Earthquake 2005
摘要
Disaster creates a context and circumstance in which the two estranged communities or nations sit together and coordinate. The chapter highlights the prospect of cooperation and peacebuilding after the earthquake occurred on either side of Kashmir on 8 October 2005. The chapter analyzes the modalities of relief and rehabilitation that allow two nations to sit together and resolve problems. How does the geography of disaster play a vital role in bringing states together, coordinating, and thus finally leading to conflict resolution? The study is based on a detailed analysis of various government reports as well as reports prepared by other international agencies that participated actively in relief work, namely UNDP, OXFAM, IFRC, Crisis Management Initiative, and Relief Web (a UN agency). The chapter concludes the coordination of disaster relief; without an actual understanding of the socio-economic geography of the affected area, peace cannot be ensured between two estranged sovereignties. It has led to the emergence of new non-state actors (mostly terrorist organizations) and undermined the state’s capacity to respond and collaborate with other states. The lesson learned from the study suggests measures that promote solidarity through people-to-people contact and peacebuilding in the time of humanitarian exigency.