Military Expansion in Disaster Response and Its Implications for the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus

ABSTRACT

Disaster response is a pathway for incorporating climate change principles into the framework of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus. However, the growing military presence in relief operations poses ethical, operational and political challenges. Based on the literature on green militarism and civil-military relations, a critical examination of the military expansion in disaster response highlights its potential to compromise the humanitarian principles underpinning the Triple Nexus. Given the unease already sparked within humanitarian and development circles by the inclusion of the peace pillar due to its association with notions of hard security, the current trend in disaster response may risk inadvertently promoting militarised aid within HDP programming. Focusing on the Philippines as a case study, the analysis enriches scholarly and policy debates on the Triple Nexus from a previously unexplored perspective and aims to open new research trajectories for further exploration.

KEYWORDS:

• Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus
• Philippines
• civil-military relations
• climate change
• disaster studies

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Eugenia Baroncelli and Daniela Irrera, who organised this Special Issue on “The Future of Multilateral Governance in a Plural Order: Rethinking Coordination between Humanitarian, Development and Peacebuilding Efforts”.

Notes

1 “A collective outcome is a concrete and measurable result that humanitarian, development and other relevant actors want to achieve jointly, usually over a period of 3-5 years, in a country to reduce people’s needs, risks and vulnerabilities and increase their resilience” (OCHA 2019, 1).

2 The 2015 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction succeeds the 2005 Hyogo Framework for Action, offering guidance for global efforts to mitigate the impact of disasters.

3 Thirteen interviews were conducted during August 2023, employing purposive sampling to select interviewees. All participants hold senior positions and represent key humanitarian agencies operating in the Philippines. The sample offers a comprehensive view of the country’s humanitarian landscape. All interviews were conducted remotely and with the informed consent of participants.

4 Echoing Thomas Malthus’s theory on population growth and natural limits, neo-Malthusian views posit that environmental degradation is the result of demographic pressure and resource scarcity.

5 The Carter Doctrine reiterated the US commitment to the free movement of oil in the Persian Gulf.

6 The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) coordinates international humanitarian response efforts and offers assistance to countries affected by natural disasters, conflicts and other emergencies.

7 The barangay is the smallest administrative unit.

8 The reference source – Armed Forces Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response Plan (OPLAN Tulong- Bayanihan) – is not available to the public.

9 Multilateral organisation advisor; interviewed on 4 August 2023.

10 Under the authority of the DND, the Office of Civil Defense is tasked with coordinating disaster risk reduction and management efforts nationwide.

11 Regional organisation officer; interviewed on 8 August 2023.

12 National NGO officer; interviewed on 4 August 2023.

13 Government officer; interviewed on 14 August 2023.

14 Regional organisation officer; interviewed on 10 August 2023.

15 Multilateral organisation officer; interviewed on 11 August 2023.

16 “The humanitarian system requires change, but this transformation cannot be imposed from the top down, as was the case with the World Humanitarian Summit. Instead of evaluating needs and vulnerabilities, we should increasingly invest in people’s agency and endorse community-driven initiatives to build resilience. Local NGOs have been pursuing this approach for years, and it is currently what we are piloting in the Philippines. This could provide a fresh definition of the Nexus.” Multilateral organisation officer; interviewed on 4 August 2023.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alessandro Tinti

Alessandro Tinti is a Post-doc Researcher at the University of Turin, Turin, Italy.