01Earthquake training in Wesel, Germany
02THW member reappears from a tunnel after hours of rescue work training
03Earthquake rescue equipment
04THW members at work
05At international training events THW works with Dutch teams (in orange)
06THW volunteer handles a circular saw
07Dutch team leader at an international training event
08A bespoke THW truck brimming with tools and machinery
09Searching for victims with dogs
10THW logo at the Berlin-Reinickendorf chapter
11A weekly training meeting in Berlin
12Heavy equipment
When a flood devastates Uganda or an earthquake strikes Pakistan, Germany’s THW gets some of the first aid workers on the ground. Mostly volunteers, they are part of Germany’s soft power arsenal.
2009: Italy (earthquake)
2008: Burma (Cyclone Nargis), China (earthquake)
2007: Ghana (flood), Uganda (flood)
2006: Lebanon (war, infrastructure, water projects)
2005: USA (Hurricane Katrina, flood), Pakistan (earthquake), Romania (flood), Tsunami region (drinking water, rebuilding)
2004: Tsunami region (drinking water, rebuilding)
2003: Iran (earthquake), France (flood), Algeria (earthquake)
Headquarters: Bonn-Lengsdorf
Subordinate to: Interior Ministry
Employees: around 800 salaried and 80,000 volunteers
Active helpers who can be dispatched: 42,000
Female volunteers: 8,000
Vehicles: more than 8,400
Structure: 668 local chapters, eight regional associations
Budget 2009: €176m
THW went to Sumatra after it was struck by an earthquake in September. Three experts headed to the region to assess damage and advise aid organisations and the German embassy on the next steps to rebuild infrastructure and distribute resources. One of them, Peter Görgen, worked with the United Nation’s Disaster Assessment & Coordination team to run initial help and explore the area. Back in Berlin the Foreign Ministry promised €1m in emergency aid. The money will be used for temporary housing, food, water and medicine. “We run all those threads together,” says Görgen.
Issue 38
Singer Nana Mouskouri is now retired but her songs remain inseparable from Greek culture. She’s a staunch nationalist, having lived through Greece’s transition to a democracy, and is determined that her proud country will…
Issue 49
A new robust approach to diplomatic relations marks a break with tradition for Canada. And many believe it has damaged the nation’s soft-power credentials.
Issue 7
It’s a short drive from the sleek corniche in Beirut to the bountiful souk in Damascus but the residents of these two great cities eye each other with a distinct lack of neighbourly affection. It doesn’t help when you…
Issue 49
Germany’s economic status exceeds its place in the world power order. With a touching lack of marketing sophistication and sturdy business values, Europe’s powerhouse has achieved soft power almost by accident.
Issue 26
If you’re Germany, you have no option but to assert yourself globally with a softly, softly approach. Since the fall of the Wall, Germany’s foreign office has become master of gently promoting ‘Brand Germany’, with Berlin…
Issue 39
Which countries get their way in the world without having to resort to military might? Who are the soft power leaders who know the value of well-placed aid or a good pop star? Over the following pages we name the top 25…
Issue 59
Monocle's third annual Soft Power Survey is an attempt to push the debate on where soft power comes from and how to use it. With current shifts in the global power balance, never has it been more relevant.
Issue 34
Takeshi Kitano AKA “Beat Takeshi” is a big-league comedian and film director who emerged from working-class roots and rose to fame with his TV programmes and gangster films. This year, he’s published his autobiography.
Issue 49
London has had some bad press but with the Olympics ahead, can its burgeoning design scene save the day?
Issue 49
Conceived of only 21 years ago, already most nations want a “soft power” strategy – a way of winning the world over without resorting to military-industrial might. Monocle has indexed the top 30 soft power nations, which…
Issue 49
Italians have never really believed in hard politics. They’ve always known that the root to real power is through a person’s stomach, and have acted accordingly, building up an enviable array of world class food and drink…
Issue 29
When a flood devastates Uganda or an earthquake strikes Pakistan, Germany’s THW gets some of the first aid workers on the ground. Mostly volunteers, they are part of Germany’s soft power arsenal.
0:00:00 0:01:00