Case 313 - Between Promise and Delivery: Relief and Reconstruction After the 2003 Iranian Earthquake

Enia, Jason S.

This case study focuses on a December 2003 earthquake that devastated the ancient Iranian city of Bam, killing as many as 30,000 people. Almost immediately, large pledges of disaster relief aid came from around the world, both directly to the Iranian government and to United Nations’ emergency relief campaigns. However, much of the promised aid never materialized and the city remained in ruins a year after the quake. This study uses that tragedy to illuminate the politics associated with foreign aid and reconstruction in the aftermath of a natural disaster.