This article was originally published by the Atlantic Council on April 15, 2020, and can be accessed at
https://atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/disaster-diplomacy-and-the-us-response-to-covid-19/.
In 1999, after decades of animosity driven by a complex history, Greek and Turkish relations positively transformed almost overnight. The catalyst for this transformation was Turkish provision of rescue personnel and other assistance to Athens, which had been struck by a devastating earthquake. Of course, those efforts would not have been transformative had the foreign ministers of both Greece and Turkey not already been considering ways to improve relations. But had it not been for the crisis, the effects of those efforts may never have been felt.