Civil Defense for Disaster Response Is Not a Luxury

Civil Defense for Disaster Response Is Not a Luxury
A member of the Syrian Civil Defense, or White Helmets, works to rescue a trapped boy under a destroyed building in the city of Jindires, Syria, Feb. 8, 2023 (DPA photo by Anas Alkharboutli via AP Images).

In the first hours of a catastrophe, chaos can overwhelm any society. That was the case for millions of people in Turkey and Syria on the morning of Feb. 6, when a huge earthquake suddenly devastated everything that was familiar. With infrastructure torn apart and public services in disarray, the frantic search for survivors began with limited resources in place.

Yet within 48 hours of the first tremor, as the world rushed to get rescue teams and aid to hard-hit communities, the ability of both countries’ governments to fulfil core obligations toward their citizens quickly came under intense scrutiny. When confronted with war or natural disasters, a society can only protect survivors if it has the state capacity and social networks to organize an effective civil defense effort. Even help from external states and NGOs will struggle to make an impact without local structures that can direct international assistance to where it is most needed.

Any sign that state institutions are no longer able to meet the population’s basic needs during such moments of peril can open space for political movements or local elites to challenge their legitimacy. A government’s ability to get civil defense personnel, equipment and aid on the scene quickly can therefore be crucial to avoiding the societal destabilization that can follow such moments of profound collective trauma.

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article by submitting your email address below. You'll also get access to three articles of your choice each month and our free newsletter:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having a personal curator and expert analyst of global affairs news. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of tens of thousands of articles.
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday.
  • Regular in-depth articles with deep dives into important issues and countries.
  • The Daily Review email, with our take on the day’s most important news, the latest WPR analysis, what’s on our radar, and more.
  • The Weekly Review email, with quick summaries of the week’s most important coverage, and what’s to come.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review