RESMETH A53

Soriano, Virgilia

Abaya, Mikhail

Macasinag, Isabel

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

The Philippines’ location on the edge of the Pacific Ocean puts it

in the prime position to receive many of the typhoons generated here.

On average, around 20-25 typhoons enter the Philippines’ Area of

Responsibility causing billions of pesos in damage all over the country

each time one hits (Virola, 2008). Aside from its situation near the

Pacific Ocean, the Philippines’ severe overpopulation and

skyrocketing population density in the urban lowland areas intensify

the potential damage during a strong typhoon or downpour. Despite

having numerous measures in place to mitigate such calamities, the

Philippine government is still met with widespread food and medicine

shortages, displaced families and thousands of individuals in need of

emergency and long-term assistance. In order to help fill the needs of

all who were affected by the typhoons, the United States extends aid

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to the Philippines through the U.S. Agency for International

Development (USAID).

USAID has been working hand in hand with the Philippines since

1961 when it was established as the primary agency to deliver

economic aid and the Foreign Assistance Act was signed. Initially, its

focus was to help the Philippines rebuild its war-torn urban areas and

revive its industrial foundations. Gradually, it shifted its focus to

developing household-level agricultural activities, social services and

the overall physical and economic conditions in the rural areas.

Following the political revolution that took place in 1986, USAID

again revised its main goal to support democracy and the

improvement of the private sector of the Philippines. As the

Philippines began to pick up its economy, USAID followed up by

creating buffers that ensured sustainable and equitable growth. Ever

since its establishment, it can be inferred that USAID has closely

patterned its operations with the most pressing needs of the

Philippines. (United States Agency for International Development,

2006)

USAID defines its primary objectives to include promoting

broadly shared economic prosperity , strengthening democracy and

good governance , protecting human rights , improving global health ,

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advancing food security and agriculture , improving environmental

sustainability, further education, helping societies prevent and

recover from conflicts and lastly, providing humanitarian assistance in

the wake of natural and man-made disasters. (USAID, 2006) Each of

these objectives is satisfied by individual sub-organizations under

USAID.

One such sub-organization is the Office of Foreign Disaster

Assistance (USAID/OFDA) which covers the last objective of providing

assistance during natural or man-made disasters. This unit is

responsible for providing non-food humanitarian assistance when

international crises or calamities arise. The USAID/OFDA’s operations

are not limited to emergency response or relief. They are also

engaged in recovery efforts where they provide tools and the

necessary capital to restart the livelihood of those who lost their jobs

and provide psychosocial care to traumatized survivors. (GlobalCorps,

2008)

According to Drs. Dulce D.Elazegui and Linda M. Penalba

(2011), two professors from the Public Affairs College of the

University of the Philippines-Los Banos, after an analysis of 59-year

data, the Philippines has seen increasingly stronger typhoons which

has also prompted USAID to enact more disaster management

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programs . The increase in typhoon strength can also be inferred by

the unfortunate frequency of massive, killer typhoons such as

Typhoon Milenyo (2006), Typhoon Reming (2006), Typhoon Ondoy

(2009), Typhoon Pepeng (2009). Hence, it follows that the Filipinos

have been seeing more of USAID’s relief and recovery efforts each

time a super typhoon hits the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

Until recently, the United States has been the dominant power

in Southeast Asia and maintained strong economic and security ties

among several Southeast Asian nations (Coipuram Jr., 2008).

However, China’s “charm offensive” which involves the growing use

of soft power, the phenomenon of decoupling which followed has

slowly and the financial crisis in 2008 has slowly eroded US

dominance in the region. Despite China’s attempts at Soft Power in

Southeast Asia, the United States’ influence in the region has

remained strong. The United States’ role in providing disaster relief

and financial support, which had amounted to $305 million, to

countries affected by the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami has helped

improve its image after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 (Coipuram Jr.,

2008).

In addition, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton (2011) had

announced a shift of US foreign policy attention from the Middle East

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towards Asia in what she termed as “America’s Pacific Century”. In

her statement, Secretary Clinton had announced that the harnessing

of Asia’s growth as vital to America’s economic and security interest

and as such is a key issue of the Obama administration amidst the

growing powers of states such as China, India, etc in the Asia-Pacific

region.

USAID’s increased role in the Philippines during recent

calamities closely mirrors the increased presence of the US within the

Asia Pacific region. Ever since the US Department of Defense released

statements about the significant arms acquisition and modernization

of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in 2005, as well as China’s

growing economic and industrial edge over the United States since

the dawn of the 21st century, scholars have suggested that the US has

been strategically strengthening ties with allies in the Asia Pacific

region (De Castro, 2009). Although the generosity of countries like the

US is widely known, one cannot divorce a state’s outward behavior

from its pursuit of national interests. (Bergeron, 2011)

A. Problem Statement

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The study will analyze how soft power is incorporated into the

response model employed by USAID in conducting relief and recovery

efforts during major typhoons in the Philippines.

Sub-questions:

1. What security model/paradigm does the US follow in setting

priorities for relief efforts?

2. What process model is used by USAID to respond to calamities

in the Philippines?

3. What specific services and goods are made available?

4. What other relief and recovery efforts has the US conducted

within the past 10 years?

5. What is the impact on the perceptions of the recipients of USAID

assistance?

Objectives:

Throughout the process of gathering information and

formulating this study, the researchers will not only concern

themselves with addressing the problems and questions immediately

posed by the topic. After completing the research, the researchers

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also aim to have satisfied several objectives for a more applicable

understanding of the topic. These objectives include:

1. To identify procedures and programs that USAID has in

terms of relief and recovery efforts;

2. How have these relief and recovery procedures aided the

Philippines during calamities?

3. To pinpoint weaknesses of Philippine Disaster Management

Systems as indicated by the patterns in USAID relief and

recovery efforts;

4. To analyze the reasoning behind US extraterritorial relief

and recovery efforts.

Significance of the Study:

This study discusses the role that the United States plays when

it conducts calamity relief and recovery efforts in context to efforts

conducted in the Philippines. The area of focus would be how these

relief and recovery efforts have been used to expand the influence of

American soft power in Asia. The researchers will also use John

Spykman’s perspective of Rimland to explain the focus of the United

States in assisting South East Asian neighbors as well as possible

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implications in terms of US soft power as the United States shifts its

focus in Asia as part of the US Pacific Century strategy.

Furthermore, this study can help provide useful data to students

of American Studies, Political Science as well as those focusing on

International Disaster and Emergency Management. It will delve into

pertinent concepts such as international relations, as the U.S.

interacts with the Philippines on the state level; power relations as the

U.S. may or may not use the practice of providing assistance as a form

of leverage over the Philippines; non-traditional security, as priority

and strategy is devoted to saving individual lives from a non-

traditional security threat; and lastly, various concepts in disaster

management, as this study will attempt to outline a clear process

model that well-established disaster response organizations such as

the USAID/OFDA employs. This study could provide useful

information that can be used as a basis for future American studies

students who will be looking into the role that soft power plays as well

those interested in undertaking disaster management.

Finally, the methods conducted by the researchers also

contribute to its significance. The researchers conducted face to face

interviews with various experts and officials related to the topic. An

analysis of documents pertaining to procedures of USAID efforts in

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the Philippines has been done. Lastly, the researchers used

documents and statistics sourced from government websites in

reviewing local agencies’ efforts in dealing with calamities.

Scope and Limitations

The scope of this study is focused on the role of USAID and the

procedural model it employs when conducting disaster relief efforts in

the Philippines. It includes an overview of USAIDs disaster relief

programs, its procedures and objectives of such programs in the

Philippines. In addition, the study will also specifically focus on impact

that USAID has in assisting agencies associated with the Philippine

Disaster Management system.

The researchers will use various methods in gathering and

validating the data. For documentary research, most research will be

sourced from online official documents from both USAID as well as

various local government units. The researchers had also sought to

conduct interviews of officials involved in the actual implementation

of USAID programs as well as interviews of beneficiaries in order to

expand and compliment the document information.

There will be limitations set for this study as it does not aim to

address the technical aspects of the disaster management system.

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Due to the limited access of both Philippine and US government

documents, the researchers shall utilize documents and scholarly

sources from both accredited internet sources and libraries.

Moreover, this study will only look at USAID’s disaster relief and

recovery programs and the employment of soft power by the United

States in the Philippines, as the focal point of the of the mentioned

relief efforts. This was decided so that the study would be able to

maximize its potential with a narrower focus. This is due to the

constraints in the limited time span to do the study as well as access

to data and impediments caused by geography. These are some of the

restrictions which the researchers have found and thus are the causes

of limited data gathered by the researchers of this study.

Definition of Terms

1.)USAID

The United States Agency for International Development under

the Secretary of State is responsible for assisting developing

countries for their needs as a sovereign state and help out

during disasters (USAID, 2012).

2.)U.S. Pacific Century Strategy

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The Pacific Century Strategy is focused on reducing America’s

attention and efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan and instead focuses

more in Asia Pacific. It is about the increase of U.S. investment

in the region in efforts to sustain their leadership and to address

the needs of the people in Asia Pacific as well (Clinton, 2011).

3.)Soft Power

Soft power is to persuade others without using military

equipment or threats. It is a way of influencing others to agree

with your own interests without coercion.

4.)Human Security

Human security is focused of the protection of individuals. It

secures the mutual needs every person has.

5.)Philippines’ Area of Responsibility

The Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) is the area where the

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services

Administration (PAGASA) is “tasked to monitor for tropical

cyclone occurrences.” (Pagasa)

6.)Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance

The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance is a branch of the

USAID “responsible for providing non-food humanitarian

assistance in response to international crises and disasters.” It

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has 3 divisions, the Disaster Response and Mitigation (DRM), the

Operations Division (OPS), and the Program Support division

(PS) (Natsios, 1997).

7.)Recovery

The process, by which all infrastructures damaged during the

calamity are rebuilt, repaired and returned to normal functional

condition. (Coppola, 2011)

8.)Geostrategy

“The exercise of power over particularly critical spaces on the

Earth’s surface; about crafting a political presence over the

international system. It is aimed at enhancing one’s security and

prosperity; about making the international system more

prosperous; about shaping rather than being shaped.” (Rogers &

Simón, 2010)

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

A. Impact of USAID and other similar INGOs in the Pacific

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Looking at the Southeast Asian region, an important aspect of

looking at relief and recovery operations would be to look into the

relationship between governmental organizations such as USAID and

international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) and their

impacts to providing humanitarian assistance to countries in the

region.

The book U.S. Foreign Policy and the Four Horsemen of the

Apocalypse, Andrew Natsios (1997) stated that the relationship

between the U.S government and NGOs began at the start of World

War II with NGOs having a major contribution and role in providing

humanitarian relief efforts in the war torn areas. Natsios goes on to

state how NGOs help in the formulation of U.S. foreign policy via

providing an alternate source of information to the US government in

cases of emergencies, influence US policy via its programs, influence

the heads of the decision-making process through advocacy efforts

and via educating the general public and financial contributions. The

book contains a historical look into the close relationship of NGOs

their relationship with the US government and the trending

phenomenon of internationalization of NGOs and their corresponding

activities wherein it has brought some confusion and tension between

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local branches of NGOs and policies which the US government enacts

when facing with humanitarian crises.

Finally, the material also goes on to provide important context

on two major players in international humanitarian relief efforts which

are the United Nations (UN) and the International Committee of the

Red Cross (ICRC). The US has increasingly relied on the UN in

helping deal with various humanitarian crises (Natsios, 1997). Relief

operations in complex humanitarian crises are mentioned as one of

the critical functions of the UN. As such, the UN performs the

following functions during a humanitarian crisis: needs assessment,

obtaining resources from donor nations, compiling situation reports,

operational coordination and planning, and supervising relief

assistance to affected populations. Lastly, the ICRC is stated to be the

premiere organization responsible for conducting relief operations

during crises. The ICRC is also the only non-UN organization which

has mandates under international law in regards to humanitarian

emergencies (Natsios, 1997). While Natsios’ book offers plenty of

insight into the various organizations both governmental and non-

governmental, it only presents them in a historical context.

Both the UN and ICRC were involved in recent calamity relief

operations in Southeast Asia and more specifically the Philippines. In

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the report titled Emergency appeal operation update Philippines:

Tropical Storm Washi, the summary of the local chapter of the ICRC,

the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) operations in the immediate aftermath

of typhoon Washi as well as recovery operations which had occurred

following the destruction of the typhoon. The report details PRC as

one of the first agencies on the ground in order to provide immediate

relief to typhoon stricken victims. The International Foundation of the

Red Cross (IFRC) had deployed regional disaster response teams

(RDRT) composed of a multinational group of volunteers to further

assist the PRC in the relief efforts. The report also includes recovery

efforts such as the distribution of food aid which had amounted to

30,000 parcels for families affected by the calamity which was done in

two phases (IFRC, 2012). The PRC had also conducted basic health

education to affected families in order to inform the victims of the

various health risks.

Furthermore, a similar report by the United Nations Office for

the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) entitled Philippines:

Tropical Storm Washi, details operations carried out by UN

organizations such as the World Food Program (WFP) and UNICEF in

providing relief and recovery operations in the wake of Tropical Storm

Washi. The report pinpoints several areas where the UN organizations

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had assisted the Philippine government such as provision of shelters,

water, sanitation and hygiene, food security, etc. This shows the UN’s

involvement in assisting the local and national government units of

the Philippines in helping to mitigate and provide relief and recovery

operations to the victims of calamities.

B. Prelude to America’s Pacific Century

The prelude to America’s Pacific Century started during the

decade of the 1990s. This decade saw the end of the Cold War with

the collapse of the Soviet Union and entrance of the world into a

unipolar system with the United States as the sole superpower. The

decade had also seen the beginnings of regional powers, specifically

in Asia such as China and India and the countries’ use of soft power to

expand its influence in the region (Dalpino, 2008).

In the academic paper titled China’s Charm Offensive in

Southeast Asia, John Kurlantzick states that Southeast Asia, with its

sea trade networks, historical allies and a growing multilateral

cooperation via the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)

has helped in keeping the United States’ interest and influence in the

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region. During the 1990s, coupled with the collapse of communism

and relative peace in the region, US influence in the region had seen a

period declined. It was not until the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997-

1998 wherein the United States’ reaction was limited only through the

International Monetary Fund, had caused a loss of confidence in

ASEAN nations as they viewed the actions of the United States and

“passable” and not “permanent” (Dalpino, 2008). The minimal role of

the United States thus worked to China’s advantage as it implemented

its “Charm Offensive” across the sub region. This material provides

valuable background into the status of US soft power influence in the

Southeast Asia and the challenges posed by rival powers such as

China in eroding the influence of the US in the subregion prior to the

declaration of the Pacific Century by Secretary Clinton in 2011.

Since 1997 and on through the early 2000s China had made

great gains in utilizing its soft power strategy of “win-win” in

Southeast Asia which for the mutual benefit of both the economies of

China and their partner due to the refusal of China devaluing their

currency and collapse of several Asian economies. China had also

capitalized on degrading relations of traditional US allies in region

such as the case of the Philippines’ decision to pull out its contingent

of troops from Iraq in 2004 where in the United States had cut its

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assistance and China’s invitation of President Gloria Macapagal

Arroyo to Beijing for talk regarding greater economic cooperation

(Kurlantzick, 2006).

The Global War on Terrorism which was launched by the Bush

Administration shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001 drew

US attention back in Southeast Asia. The focus of this new attention

however was limited to counterterrorism as the United States focused

on combatting Al-Qaeda and her allies. Despite China’s growing

influence in its use of soft power in Southeast Asia, the United States

still maintained significant soft power capabilities in the region

through the various foreign programs and its extensive development

and humanitarian organizations (Lum et al, 2008).

In a CRS Report for Congress titled Comparing Global Influence:

China’s and U.S. Diplomacy, Foreign Aid, Trade and Investment in the

Developing World, foreign aid is seen as an essential instrument of US

foreign policy. The importance was further outlined by the Bush

Administration during its FY2009 International Affairs 150 budget in

which it had identified USAID as having a critical role in the

implementation of the National Security Strategy (Lum et al, 2008).

Furthermore, US aid to Southeast Asian countries has continued to

grow since 2001 as a direct reflection of the Bush Administration’s

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objective of combating the spread of terrorism. Much of this aid has

benefitted major ASEAN nations such as Indonesia and the

Philippines. The United States had spent $452 million in aid to

Southeast Asia in 2007 which constituted 85% of its East Asia and

Pacific assistance allotment at the time. In addition, the United States

Peace Corps continues to operate in several ASEAN nations such as

Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines (Lum et al, 2008).

American soft power and influence was evidenced during the

2004 Indian Ocean tsunami wherein the United States contributed

pledges of up to $305 million to help in the relief and recovery efforts.

In following up with the monetary pledge, OFDA had also dispatched

fifty-five Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) members and

their corresponding USAID staff to disaster stricken areas in countries

such as India, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Through several

airlifts, OFDA/USAID was able to provide tens of thousands of hygiene

kits, water containers and emergency medicals kits to victims of the

tsunami disaster.

A critical aspect of US soft power in Southeast Asia has been the

role of the United States Military in assisting the agencies under the

Department of State in conducting Humanitarian Relief operations.

This role was most apparent during the events following the 2004

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Indian Ocean tsunami, wherein the US Navy quickly deployed both a

carrier strike group as well as an expeditionary strike group to assist

in the distribution of relief goods and supplies to areas geographically

isolated by the tsunami (US Navy History, 2007). in the article

entitled The US Military & Soft Power written by Major John Garcia,

Lieutenant Commander Michael Rak and Major David Yunt, the US

militaries’ structure, personnel, logistics and expeditionary capability

have proven to be greatly advantageous in regards to helping the

civilian organizations such as USAID in providing much needed

humanitarian relief and assistance. This new brand of soft power

projection had combined the advantages of hard power element of

providing a quick and efficient military response to control the

situation as well as provide aid and help their allies in need (Garcia et

al, 2007). Though focused solely on the military aspect of

humanitarian assistance, it provides valuable insights into how

thinkers within the US military have planned to use assets normally

associated with Hard Power in a way that not only supports its civilian

counterpart agencies but also spread US soft power.

Further evidence of the effective capabilities of the US Military

in projecting its soft power capabilities came during events after

Typhoon Ketsana had submerged Manila, the capital city of the

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Philippines. Both Dr. Rosalie and Dr. Cull (2010) had noted that units

under the Joint Special Operations Task Force – Philippines (JSOTF-P)

as well as Naval and Marine elements that were conducting training

exercises at the time were sent to provide manpower and medical

support in order to aid local Philippine government units in providing

and distributing relief goods to calamity stricken Filipinos (VFACOM,

2012).

This was, however, not the only time that the United States had

assisted the Philippine government in responding disasters. In the

paper entitled Civil-Military Relations in in Disaster Rescue and Relief

Activities: Response to the Mudslide in Southern Leyte, Philippines, it

should be noted that the US was also involved in providing disaster

relief assistance to Philippine government and military units during

the 2006 mudslide in Leyte which had caused tremendous damage

and loss of life in the village of Guinsaugon, Leyte. This contingent

consisted of a US Marine group as well as rotary and fixed wing

assets which have assisted the Philippine government in search and

rescue as well as relief and recovery operations. This event had

highlighted the first highly-publicized response of the US in

conducting disaster relief operations in the Philippines (Hall, Cular,

2010). These were some involvements of the United States in

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conducting humanitarian assistance prior to Hilary Clinton’s

declaration of America’s involvement in the Pacific in 2011. This

academic paper was able to provide evidence of US involvement and

the use of its military in assisting its Southeast Asian allies and more

importantly, the Philippines, upon which this research paper is

focused on. However, this paper’s attention was mainly focused on the

operational aspects of the Local Philippine government and thus only

provides a brief insight into one humanitarian assistance operation

carried out by the United States.

C. Neo-Realism in Foreign Policy

Kenneth Waltz gave a new perspective to realism with his

work. In it, he stressed that the international community is

anarchic and states have to take care of their own in order to

survive. He also purported that the actions of states in the

international community are still in keeping with traditional Realist

sentiments in that they are driven by their personal interests.

An article entitled “Neo-Realism and Humanitarian Action:

From Cold War to Our Days” by Huseyn Aliyev discusses how neo-

realism is applied in humanitarian actions. The author based his

explanation of the theory in Kenneth Waltz’ work “Theory of

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International Politics” and described the international system of

today as “an anarchic environment without any central power

coordinating and regulating affairs among states.” (Aliyev, 2011)

Actions of states in the international arena are based on their own

personal interests. Even in alliances, states still pursue their own

individual goals. According to Aliyev, international politics are

defined by the systematic nature of the world. He also discussed

how power serves as a bridge relating all states to each other.

Every state has a pursuit for power and this motivates them to

build a strong army, develop weapons, and make sure that they

have a developing economy because the stronger a state becomes,

the less vulnerable it is in the international arena. The author also

believes that neo-realism is a “theory of balance” and balance is

needed to achieve peace. If a state has too much power, other

states will be scared and wouldn’t want to form an alliance with

them, but if a state has too little power, other states would look

down on it and take advantage of it. He also mentioned how states

know the risk of using nuclear weapons and thus only use them for

deterrence purposes. Some critics of neo-realism claim that the

theory is only fitted for the bipolar world, or the time of the Cold

War. They explain that states, in the present, prefer to join

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international organizations for security than building up their

arsenal. The author also discussed humanitarian action and how it

was during the period of the Cold War and how it has changed in

the modern era. He concluded that neo-realism could be used by

“humanitarian analysts to predict behavior of states or

international organizations and in some cases aid agencies in

international politics.” (Aliyev, 2011) Humanitarian assistance will

always be based on self-interests of the sponsoring state or

organization, and aid agencies are more prone to be biased with the

states they choose to help. Lastly, the author concluded that neo-

realist principles are not applicable to natural disaster aid

assistance because states have no political interests with that

situation.

On another note, the article entitled “Political Realism in

International Relations” by W. Julian Korab-Karpowicz also

discussed neo-realism in relation to the work of Kenneth Waltz and

but he included some objections to the theory. According to the

author, Waltz described international politics as something similar

to macroeconomics. “States in the international system are like

firms in a domestic economy and have the same fundamental

interest: to survive.” (Korab-Karpowicz, 20120) He also mentions

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that neo-realism only explains why states behave similarly even

though their governments differ and they have different political

ideologies, and therefore, cannot be applied to domestic politics.

States behave the same because the structure of the international

system constrains states’ behaviors. The article also discussed how

“anarchy, or the absence of central authority, is for Waltz the

ordering principle of the international system.” (Korab-Karpowicz,

2010) States are the primary actors and they have to take care of

themselves because anarchy is a system of self-help. Each state has

the fundamental interest of security and is concentrating on their

distribution of power. The anarchic international system is also

characterized with limited cooperation between states because they

fear that the other state would benefit more if they cooperate. Neo-

realism was criticized in this article as a theory that “cannot

adequately account for changes in world politics.” (Korab-

Karpowicz, 2010) Another objection to the theory was about

cooperation and that according to Robert Keohane, “states can

widen the perception of their self-interest through economic

cooperation and involvement in international institutions.” (Korab-

Karpowicz, 2010) The author concluded that “an anarchic

international system based on pure power relations among actors

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can evolve into a more cooperative and peaceful international

society, in which state behavior is shaped by commonly shared

values and norms.” (Korab-Karpowicz, 2010)

D. Soft Power Politics in the International Society

Soft power is persuading others to agree or share the same

ideals as yours. It is the peaceful way of influencing others, without

using threat or force. It has been a big part of the international

society of today but a few still argue that it shouldn’t be applied.

In the article entitled Case Study: Hard Power or Soft Power?

Searching for China’s Use of Soft Power in the Pursuit of Economic

Cooperation Framework Agreement in Taiwan by Jani Juhani

Mustonen, power is described in a way that it is “generally used to

explain a capability of one actor to change or influence the

behavior of another actor.” (Mustonen, 2010) To achieve this type

of power, states need more than capabilities but they should also be

aware of what the interest of other states are. In order to change

the behavior of others, you need to attract them and persuade

them. Unlike hard power which is focused on the military, soft

power uses culture, values, and institutions to achieve its goal.

Brantley Womack, a critic of soft power, mentions a flaw of soft

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power which is “analytical fuzziness.” (Mustonen, 2010) Three

things related to soft power are attention, attractiveness, and

persuasion. Attention is all about capabilities and resources,

attractiveness is based on the individual judgement of other states,

and persuasion is “compliance without coercion or sanctions.”

(Mustonen, 2010) Another view on soft power is taken on the

relation of power resources to power and power behavior.

According to Alexander L. Vuving, same resources doesn’t

necessarily mean it produces the same behavior but it can also

produce different behavior. Soft power is about benignity,

brilliance, and beauty. Benignity is the attitude of the state using

soft power towards the other state. Brilliance is seen when states

become attracted to another state because it is successful. Beauty

is what inspires states when they share the same ideals, values, and

morals with other states. The author explains that soft power is a

power currency and it is “a property that causes power and in itself

a property of resources and activities.” (Mustonen, 2010)

The article entitled “The Benefits of Soft Power” by Joseph S.

Nye Jr. discusses soft power, it’s interplay with hard power, it’s

limits, and how information revolution affects it. The author

described soft power as “the second face of power.” (Nye Jr., 2004)

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A state can co-opt other states to attain its desired outcome

through making them admire its values, follow its example, and

make them want to be as prosperous and open as it is. Soft power is

about being an example of what you want and attracting others

which makes them help you achieve your goal or similar goals. It is

about luring others to want what you want so that you won’t have

to use force. It is “persuasion or the ability to move people by

argument.” (Nye Jr. 2004) One limit of soft power mentioned in the

article is that “imitation or attraction do not add up to power.” (Nye

Jr. 2004) It means that you are not powerful just because others

copy or is attracted to you. Just like in other works, soft power

attracts using shared values and similar objectives.

Tysha Bohorquez, in a review entitled “Soft Power – The

Means to Success in World Politics,” discusses Nye’s view on soft

power, that “a country’s ability to influence events through

persuasion and attraction, rather than military or financial

coercion.” (Bohorquez, 2005) When a state’s culture, values, and

institutions are admired and respected by other states, it suggests

that it possess more soft power. U.S. has a strong popular culture

around the world and its government suggests openness through

their immigrants. U.S. does not bind itself with multinational

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treaties and agreements because it can constrain its actions. It

rather makes sure that other states are within their reach as

possible partners/allies. This way, the U.S. will be able to set the

rules and their partners will just agree and support their decisions.

Soft power also aided U.S. with terrorism in a way that their allies

can serve as watch dogs for them. According to the author, critics

David Frum and Richard Perole claim that “soft power is irrelevant

for a country without military rivals.” (Bohorquez, 2005) Secretary

of Defense Donald Rumsfeld believed that U.S. is capable of doing

anything they want because they are the superpower but they have

to accept the fact that not everyone’s going to side with them. He

explained that “the world’s only superpowers does not need

permanent allies; the issues should determine the coalitions, not

vice-versa.” (Bohorquez, 2005)

CHAPTER III

FRAMEWORK

Page 29 of 42

Figure 1 will attempt to show the process by which the need for

foreign aid and the subsequent procedural reaction translates into a

carefully calculated strategy that will significantly affect the level of

influence the responding country has on the recipient country.

Whenever a calamity strikes a country, emergency needs arise

depending on the number of people affected and the potential or

incurred damage. Most often, communities will require the rescue of

stranded individuals, or from a more long-term perspective, recovery

from trauma and loss from the disaster. Even before a typhoon or

similar calamity hits a country, ideally, there will be a number of

mechanisms in place to anticipate a storm and minimize the potential

damage. These mechanisms generally signal both local and foreign

agencies to respond to the situation. Once word has gotten to INGOs

that a country is in need of emergency aid following a devastating

disaster, aid organizations such as the OFDA branch of USAID will

secure reports from representatives on the field or simply from the

local media on the status of the calamity. These organizations will

then send an advisor or assessment team to evaluate the gravity of

the situation. After which, they will forward their findings and

recommendations to the appropriate departments within their

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organization to finally mobilize the resources that they have decided

to allocate for the country. (Perry & Travayiakis, 2008).

Oftentimes, the simple and straightforward process of

evaluation, delegation and response when offering foreign aid to

another country indicate an interest or objective of the donor country.

The interest or objective can be achieved by using the procedural

aspect of foreign aid as a strategy to either gain a tactical geographic

advantage in a particular area, known as Geostrategy, or cause an

outright expansion of the scope and extent of their Sphere of

Influence (Mulaj, 2012).

In either case of attempting to engage in Geostrategic activities

or expand their Sphere of Influence, the actions of the country that

sponsored the aid will experience a change in their level of influence

or perhaps, their soft power projections over the recipient country. A

weak level of influence may result if a country has had no prior

relations with the host country or perhaps there are several

ideological or political incompatibilities between the two. A moderate

or strong level of influence will result, depending on the openness of

the recipient country to accept the assistance as well as the increased

presence of the donor country following the initial response to the

calamity. (Drury et. al, 2005)

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A. Conceptual Diagram

Figure 1. The diagram shows the process of Disaster Management from the

perspective of foreign aid organizations.

Figure 3 sums up the process by which Philippine mechanisms

for detecting and gauging calamities kickstart the US response model

for strengthening its level of influence over the Philippines and Asia.

The mechanisms from which critical information about the calamity is

relayed are referred to as Early Warning Systems (EWSs). These

EWSs are operated by PHIVOLCS, PAGASA and other relevant offices

per type of calamity as seen in the lower left portion of Figure 2, the

Philippine Disaster Operations Flow as defined by the Office of Civil

Defense-National Disaster Coordinating Council. Throughout the

ordeal, critical information is fed to local government units (LGUs)

such as the National Disaster Management Center (NDMC) to assess

the real-time situation concerning areas at risk. The President of the

Page 32 of 42

NEED

RescueRecovery

PROCESSEvaluation

Delegation

Response

STRATEGY

Geostrategy

Sphere of Influence

LEVEL OF INFLUENCE

Strong

Moderate

Weak

Republic of the Philippines or the LGUs may declare a state of

calamity as they deem necessary. The qualifications for declaring such

include criteria concerning the affected percentage of the population,

dwellings, livelihood, roads, bridges, and major “lifelines” such as

electricity, water, transport and communication. This would be done

primarily to “facilitate relief and rehabilitation efforts in calamity-

affected areas, to control prices and prevent hoarding of basic

commodities, and to carry out remedial measures in the affected

areas, such as the release of funds from the national and local

governments.” (Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, 2001).

Page 33 of 42

Figure 2. Disaster Operations Flow.Source: Office of Civil Defense-National Disaster Coordinating Council

While under a state of calamity, all resources and avenues for

extending rescue and recovery to affected areas are utilized. The

declaration itself is quite possibly the clearest prompt for INGOs that

offer foreign aid to begin acting on the situation. Before ultimately

deciding on sending aid to the afflicted country, aid organizations,

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such as USAID in particular, would employ a set of criteria to

determine the necessity and urgency of responding to a specific

calamity. According to Charles M. Perry and Marina Travayiakis in

their article entitled “The U.S. Foreign Disaster Response Process:

How It Works and How It Could Work Better” the criteria include:

1) the disaster must be beyond the ability of the host nation to

handle on its own;

2) the host nation must formally request U.S. assistance;

3) such assistance must be in the strategic interests of the

United States.

In terms of priority, the first and third questions supersede the

second. If at least these two items are met, USAID will begin the

bureaucratic process of deploying a Disaster Assistance Response

Team (DART) and spending up to $50,000 on any standard relief

mission, or for special cases, up to $100,000 when the US

Ambassador deems fit (Drury et. al, 2005). In an article on U.S.

national interests in the 21st century and its security environment,

Commander Edilberto M. Salenga of the U.S. Navy explained that “…

the relatively new core competencies of humanitarian assistance and

disaster response capabilities comprise the core of U.S. soft power

and reflect an increase in emphasis on those activities that prevent

Page 35 of 42

war and build partnerships.” Therefore, for the purposes of this

research, it can be claimed that such efforts to deliver assistance and

emergency or long-term response for countries like the Philippines

entail strategic intentions to strengthen and widen American presence

in the area. Finally, increased presence of the U.S. in the Philippines

will essentially translate into a stronger and more compelling stance

both within and beyond the borders of the recipient country;

particularly within Asia at the height of the U.S. Pacific Century.

B. Operational Diagram

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EWSs

USAID

1) Is the country in dire need of assistance?

2) Did the country make a formal

request?

3) Is such assistance in the

strategic interests of the US?

DARTs

State ofCalamity

Soft power projection towards

the Philippines

Strong level of influence

over Philippines;

Asia Figure 3. Diagram summarizes how the disaster mitigation process employed by USAID can translate into a projection of soft power over the recipient country which eventually leads to an increased level of influence over that country and the surrounding areas.

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