The Pakistan flood assistance can not be compared too heavily with the Haiti earthquake assistance for several reasons. Size, and proximity are two very important ones but the other is that no one want to support the bad guy.
Before I get to the last topic let me talk about the first 2. Aid comes from Atlantic nations. The UK France USA and Canada feel very strongly about funnelling tax payer dollars to other parts of the world usually to great benefit of local individuals not least among them the politician that is seen to be allocating the cash. What’s unfortunate about a country in the far east is that it is pretty far. A hour out of fort lauderdale takes you right to the earthquake zone and as far as I know the psychological ties that bind francophonic countries and countries under the hegemonic umbrella of the USA are quite strong. So when a fellow French or fellow Caribbean or fellow American is in trouble help is on the way.
Not so for Asia and the East. Squabbling is rife among people who are very similar and tribalism and nationalism is strong and violent. Hedgemonic ambition is highly resented despite the three very strong and large economies in the area. One (iran) is a global pariah the other(China) a global player and the third(India) is Pakistan’s sworn enemy. Pakistan is also a country with the 7th largest population on the planet. several Haitis could fit inside it geographically and demographically. if all the population of Haiti were helped in Pakistan it would still barely scratch the surface. Those in need are not very accessible either, even after you get past the Taliban, al Qaeda, kidnappers and flood waters you still have to brave the terrain and elements.
Lastly let’s not be naive, Pakistan is the badguy. Nuclear proliferation, war with India, support for terrorists, harbouring al Qaeda, harbouring the Taliban, being uncooperative. Pakistan has not done itself any favours. Many people are probably rooting for the floods to kill as many of them as possible and save us all a lot of trouble. Only the UK, home to a lot of them partly in fear is rushing to help them, but in truth not even the Pakistani elite really care about those that died.
Now might be a good time to catch Osama bin Laden.
If he is still in Pakistan he will be outside out and about helping people and promoting his cause via his construction background.
Pakistan is reaping the rewards of its infamy. For years it has taken all its aid money and bought weapons to combat India. They were well proud of their joint produced air superiority fighter right until the point that rain proved itself superior to airplanes.
Pakistan has been like, ” dont fuck with us we have nukes” and hasn’t allowed the USA to properly chase the Taliban down so now no body really likes them worst of all their neighbours.
Now that trouble has come not from spies and conspiracies but from nature itself Pakistanis find out what life is really about. Its not about James Bond the ISI and geopolitics, life is about life, eating, drinking, shelter and sleep. Probably some lunatics are still blaming India and America for causing the floods and cholera. In fact I wouldnt be surprised is the semi mythical HAARP is floated soon. It did get airplay during Katrina. If George Bush used it on Black people, Obama might use it on Pakistan.
Too bad one cannot shoot or explode away poverty.
If bin Laden is still alive, he’s a smart and compassionate guy, he’s out there helping, and good thing too, Pakistan needs all the help it can get.
Netanyahu says that Turkish charities were looking for a fight when they ignored diplomatic overtures and tried to run the blockade in 2010.
Of course they were looking for a fight. And that’s why you shouldn’t have confronted them.
Turkey has been looking for favoured middle eastern state for quite a while and while Jordan ans Saudi Arabia has little to fear, Israel is a public relations nightmare. You got played and Turkey gains favour with the rest of the Anti-Israel parts of the EU.
Israel does come across as blood thirsty, confrontational and arrogant and it does the country no favours. It is involved in a war of lowest common denominators. When facing symmetrical forces it does admirably but facing guerilla fighters with cheap weapons suicide missions and propaganda it does terribly.
Israel is getting baited into bear traps by both state and non state actors. It will lose the propaganda war if it continues to act predictably.
Paul Pillar has a very interesting piece in FP called Yes, America Is Exporting Terrorism, which is well worth a read. The below quote stood out for me. Speaking of the US, he wrote: More generally, it can try to view everything it does in the name of counterterrorism through its foreign partners’ eyes and [...] […]
