Pakistan: Tragedy and Missed Opportunity
When the tsunami devastated South Asia, it took days for President Bush to appreciate its severity and to act accordingly. His initial response (or lack thereof) was justly criticized. Eventually, however, the President initiated a large-scale humanitarian relief effort. In addition to the military and governmental response, he enlisted his father and President Clinton to raise money to help the victims. And the American people overwhelmingly responded.
When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, the President was again slow to respond and slow to appreciate the gravity of the situation. Eventually, however, the President called in the cavalry. Billions of federal dollars were earmarked for relief and another large-scale fundraising campaign was launched.
This past week, a major earthquake devastated Pakistan, killing tens of thousands of people and leaving millions homeless. The magnitude of the tragedy is at least on par with the Asian tsunami. But while the quake has garnered a fair amount of news coverage, it does not seem to be generating the same outpouring of concern and support among the American people. Part of this no doubt due to disaster fatigue. It does seem like there has been one natural disaster on top of another lately. Part of the problem is that this tragedy took place in a remote region, making it difficult for news organizations to cover it. And, let's face it, part of the problem is that--unlike the Asian tsunami--very few of the victims of this tragedy were English-speaking Westerners. That makes it hard for Western news outlets to sustain ratings by covering it. There aren't the harrowing tales of Western tourists fleeing disaster or the stories of American families looking for their missing sons and daughters.
As a result, I fear that the U.S. response, in terms of foreign aid and private donations, will be insufficient to deal with the magnitude of the disaster. And that would be a tragedy, not just on a humanitarian level, but in terms of our national security. Pakistan is perhaps the chief breeding ground of anti-Americanism in the word today. It is a haven for jihadists, including the most notorious of them all, Osama bin Laden. As we all know, the War on Terror is, more than anything else, a war for the hearts and minds of the next generation of would-be terrorists. What better way is there to convince the Muslim world of America's inherent goodness than to respond overwhelming in their time of need? Conversely, what better way is there to convince the Muslim world of our indifference to their plight than by ignoring their cries for help? If ever there was a time for strong presidential leadership, it is now.
Bush needs to marshall the resources at his disposal immediately. It's hard to imagine a better long term investment than money spent winning over public opinion in the Muslim world. Bush also needs to go out and make the case to the American people. He needs to convince people that donating money to the victims of the Pakistani earthquake is not just the humanitarian thing to do, but it is vital to our national security. It is not too late, but the window of opportunity is closing fast.
When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, the President was again slow to respond and slow to appreciate the gravity of the situation. Eventually, however, the President called in the cavalry. Billions of federal dollars were earmarked for relief and another large-scale fundraising campaign was launched.
This past week, a major earthquake devastated Pakistan, killing tens of thousands of people and leaving millions homeless. The magnitude of the tragedy is at least on par with the Asian tsunami. But while the quake has garnered a fair amount of news coverage, it does not seem to be generating the same outpouring of concern and support among the American people. Part of this no doubt due to disaster fatigue. It does seem like there has been one natural disaster on top of another lately. Part of the problem is that this tragedy took place in a remote region, making it difficult for news organizations to cover it. And, let's face it, part of the problem is that--unlike the Asian tsunami--very few of the victims of this tragedy were English-speaking Westerners. That makes it hard for Western news outlets to sustain ratings by covering it. There aren't the harrowing tales of Western tourists fleeing disaster or the stories of American families looking for their missing sons and daughters.
As a result, I fear that the U.S. response, in terms of foreign aid and private donations, will be insufficient to deal with the magnitude of the disaster. And that would be a tragedy, not just on a humanitarian level, but in terms of our national security. Pakistan is perhaps the chief breeding ground of anti-Americanism in the word today. It is a haven for jihadists, including the most notorious of them all, Osama bin Laden. As we all know, the War on Terror is, more than anything else, a war for the hearts and minds of the next generation of would-be terrorists. What better way is there to convince the Muslim world of America's inherent goodness than to respond overwhelming in their time of need? Conversely, what better way is there to convince the Muslim world of our indifference to their plight than by ignoring their cries for help? If ever there was a time for strong presidential leadership, it is now.
Bush needs to marshall the resources at his disposal immediately. It's hard to imagine a better long term investment than money spent winning over public opinion in the Muslim world. Bush also needs to go out and make the case to the American people. He needs to convince people that donating money to the victims of the Pakistani earthquake is not just the humanitarian thing to do, but it is vital to our national security. It is not too late, but the window of opportunity is closing fast.
posted by A.L. at 9:58 PM
2 Comments:
Not only good will would be evinced, but actual lives could be saved by the Great Satan. Makes a lot of sense. We already have equipment and expert personnel next door who, as far as I can tell, are presently underutilized in the hunt for Usama (he can run but he can't hide) bin Laden. The whole idea makes obvious and impeccable sense. The idea of U.S. Army helicopters being a life-saving force could actually change hearts and minds.
But this is the Cheney administration. Too bad the quake didn't reveal hidden oilfields in Pakistan.
This scenario reveals a side of Bushco that quite frankly I don't think exists, nor do I think he is particularly concerned about the opportunities to mend bridges or revise anyone's version of America as an imperialistic post -cold war power grabber.
The other reality is that we are no longer in the position as we used to be of using aid to court the global community. The days of generous-handed relief in exchange for cooperation are over. We do not have the money to buy back anyone to good graces. We owe many times more debt than the entire third world combined and much of our debt is to China, the emerging rival that will be able to cripple our economy. What surprises me is NOT the lack of response from America because we are in dire straits, and we are categorically indifferent anyway- but the lack of response from emerging competing economies...soon they will be able to capitalize not only on their financial ownership of our debts but the lost good will of those who used to support us. Mark my words, this is coming down the pike...
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