Kuala Lampur, Aug. 30 -- The Indo-Pacific is often analysed through the prism of geopolitics: the rivalry between the United States and China, the shadow of nuclear deterrence, the proliferation of bilateral security treaties, and the intensifying naval build-up across strategic straits and sea lanes. Yet this fixation on military competition obscures the most immediate threat facing the region - the volatility of nature itself.

The Ring of Fire, with its seismic instability, has proven repeatedly that no aircraft carrier or missile shield can prevent earthquakes, tsunamis, or volcanic eruptions. What can, however, mitigate these shocks is a genuine collective capacity for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).

The Ring of ...