Cooperazione e conflitti di obiettivi in situazioni di emergenza: il caso dello tsunami nell’Oceano Indiano

On 26 December 2004 an earthquake registered 9.0-9.3 magnitude on the Richter scale hit Sumatra, on the Indian Ocean. The enormous energy freed by the earthquake, the most disruptive registered by seismographs in the last forty years, unleashed a massive wave (Tsunami) that struck fourteen countries killing more than 200.000 people. Immediately, the international humanitarian system mobilized to alleviate the affliction of the prostrated populations. This contribution analyzes the decisions adopted for regulating the international relief activities, the actual problems arisen, and the solutions implemented. By analyzing and discussing the Tsunami case, this contribution proposes an organizational discourse on the decision-making processes adopted by cooperating subjects. Finally, it will introduce a theoretical framework for understanding and explaining the decision-making processes influencing cooperative behaviors.