Israel’s National Search and Rescue Unit, made up entirely of volunteers, is always one of the first teams to arrive in major disasters, including the earthquake in Haiti.

Haiti is picking up the pieces – but sooner or later another natural disaster will strike. Here, Monocle looks at the best nations to call in a crisis and tools you need for the job.

When it comes to disasters, the first few hours make all the difference to rescue and relief efforts. And the better the kit, the greater the chance of saving lives. But is it time for a permanent rapid reaction force?

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.

Struggling nations and cities need to hitch up their skirts, quicken their step and just get on with it. Our editor-in-chief follows up the debates stirred up in this issue.

Never work with animals is a mantra in TV but exotic, domestic and native beasts have been employed to work in conflicts around the world with mixed consequences. Take a walk on the wild side with Monocle.

The remote Alaskan outpost of Unalaska boasts the US’s biggest commercial port, thanks to a hugely profitable fishing season. And don’t forget the oil industry and a hit TV series...

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…