The Role of Military Forces in a Humanitarian Crisis

In the beginning the disasters that befell mankind were absolute. All but Noah’s family perished in the flood, only a few tribes survived the famine of Egypt, even Titus s relief column failed to restore either the citizens or the facilities of Pompeii. Disasters were caused by natural events such as flood, drought, earth tremors and volcanoes. As society developed and people concentrated in greater numbers, the impacts of these natural events were intensified. Their effects continued to blight the areas of their epicenters long after the physical manifestations of the disasters had passed. The after-effects were starvation, epidemics and displaced people. In industrialized societies the worst manifestations of human suffering have resulted from war and communal violence. The greatest human tragedies of the 1980s comprised elements of a natural disaster aggravated by the effects of war.