Understanding and evaluating large-scale consular emergency response

Abstract

With increasingly mobile societies and greater global interconnectedness, international travel has become cheaper and more streamlined. The number of individuals travelling across increasingly permeable borders continues to grow. Large-scale consular emergencies occur when a large number of foreign nationals are under threat or in distress following a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or escalation of unrest abroad. Presented in a 'thesis by publication' format, this dissertation examines how governments, and in particular foreign ministries, respond to incidents abroad affecting a large number of foreign nationals; the strategic and operational challenges they face in implementing these responses; and how the 'consular' nature of this class of emergency that spans the domestic and international arena, shapes these challenges and response patterns. Drawing on data from Australia, Sweden and the United Kingdom, this dissertation examines the role and performance of foreign ministries during responses to three major incidents abroad: the 2002 Bali bombings, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2006 evacuations from Lebanon. This dissertation sought to understand and evaluate government policies and practices with respect to large-scale consular emergency response, and draw attention to the foreign component of the typically domestic crisis management function of government. In the international environment of large-scale responses, governments have to work and contend with numerous actors. The scale of the emergency necessitates that bureaucracies engage in coordinated whole-of-government responses. Responses spanning both the domestic and international arena require coordinated action between foreign ministry headquarters and personnel abroad, and require cooperation with actors not normally involved in domestic emergencies. Managing distance in large-scale consular emergency responses encompasses more than physical and logistical distance. The challenge of assisting citizens whose emotions may be affected by the foreignness of the environment, or by feelings of connectedness despite the physical distance, necessitates a response that incorporates both pragmatism and compassion. Governments mounting large-scale responses also have to contend with the expectations of the citizenry, which often go beyond what governments are capable of delivering outside their national territories. Deconstructing large-scale consular emergency response into constituent challenges provides a framework in which to assess the responses. Large-scale consular emergencies test the limits of bureaucratic reach, highlight the relationship between the citizen and the state, and engage the political sphere with questions of how far a government should go to assist citizens. -- provided by Candidate. Show more