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Article: Forces of nature have halted invading armies, prompted political change, and united bitter enemies.
- Article from:
- New York Times Upfront
- Article date:
- February 14, 2005
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The area where the tsunami caused the greatest loss of life, Indonesia's Aceh Province, had been under virtual martial law, largely closed to the outside world as 40,000 troops hunted separatists. Indonesia's military remains suspicious that Aceh rebels could exploit the chaos.
It remains to be seen how the Dec. 26 catastrophe will affect the political landscape, but tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and other disasters have often deflected the course of history. Around 1600 B.C., the Santorini volcano sent a tsunami across the Mediterranean, devastating Crete, capital of the Minoan empire, its fleet, and its coastal cities. Fatally weakened, the empire ...