Analysis Of The Political Motives Of U.S.Disaster Assistance To North Korea After The Cold War

As global warming and environmental problems intensify,natural disasters are becoming more frequent,posing a great threat to the global community and profoundly affecting relations between nations.Natural disaster assistance is a new concept in the field of disaster studies.The general definition of "disaster" in natural disaster assistance is a sudden or gradual event that causes considerable damage beyond local capacity and requires national or international assistance.Natural disasters can be classified as sudden-onset disasters such as earthquakes,hurricanes,and floods,as well as slow-growing disasters such as droughts,epidemics,and desertification.The common feature is their impact on people,which manifests itself in physical injury or property destruction.After a natural disaster,for political,economic or humanitarian purposes,one sovereign state may provide financial help to another sovereign state,forming an act of disaster assistance,and the two parties constitute the relationship between the donor and the recipient state.The study of disaster assistance is concerned with whether,how,and why this act of assistance has an impact on bilateral diplomatic relations.The study of disaster assistance has evolved over a long period of time.First of all,"disaster" itself has a political function.In natural disasters,due to the lack of resources and uneven distribution,the governments of the affected countries are likely to face financial crises,leading to political instability and social unrest,and even international conflicts.The "catalyst" role played by disaster aid in international politics opens a"window of opportunity" to change the political process and profoundly affects international relations.Disaster aid extends from the humanitarian sphere to the international political sphere in a form of reciprocity.And the study focuses not only on the act of aid itself,but also on the relationships between underlying economic,social,or political interests.This dissertation reveals that U.S.assistance to the North Korea’s food crisis is a conditional exchange of interests,which aims to achieve U.S.national interests.Geopolitics and national interests are important factors that profoundly affect U.S.disaster aid.And U.S.disaster aid in Asia is of strategic importance to U.S.political interests.U.S.food aid to North Korea could guide,persuade or force North Korea to accept certain conditions.It also influences interstate relations and plays a key role in improving the international status and national image of the United States.However,U.S.food aid to the DPRK also has limits.Since disaster aid merely functions as a diplomatic "catalyst",it is difficult to fundamentally reverse the hostile situation between the two countries with aid alone.