Nato disaster relief operations

: an analysis of an underexposed field of activity of the Alliance

Abstract

Natural disasters are happening more frequently and are becoming increasingly destructive. In the wake of this trend, NATO has increased its prominence in international disaster relief assistance. Consequently, critics have expressed doubts whether disaster relief operations are an appropriate field of activity for the Alliance. The purpose of the dissertation is to justify NATO’s involvement by revealing that disaster relief operations are in accordance with the founding principles of the Alliance and further by demonstrating its added value. Apported by a case study, an extensive literature review shows that NATO’s involvement is indeed appropriate and above all effective, although there are still areas for improvement.

Date of Award	30 Jun 2015
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Mónica Dias (Supervisor)