Only America is helping Pakistan
In the two weeks since monsoon floods submerged 20 percent of the country, some $100 million has been pledged in aid—more than half of it from the U.S.
As Pakistan faces an unprecedented crisis, only one nation is standing by us: the United States, said Khalid Iqbal in the Islamabad Nation. In the two weeks since monsoon floods submerged 20 percent of the country, disrupting life for 14 million people, some $100 million has been pledged in aid—more than half of it from the U.S. In fact, the United States has been by far the largest donor, both in cash and, crucially, equipment. With roads washed out across entire provinces, millions of stranded families had to be supplied by air. The Americans’ “prompt provision of a large fleet of helicopters” saved lives. Their generous aid “is earning a much desired and long-awaited public goodwill toward America.”
There’s one other country making a big show of offering aid—but for self-serving reasons, said the Islamabad Nation in an editorial. Our archenemy, India, has smugly extended the “paltry sum” of $5 million in an attempt to play Asia’s savior on the cheap. Given that Pakistan is still embroiled in a sovereignty dispute with India over the province of Kashmir, our government ought to reject the money “out of hand,” but instead it is waffling. Islamabad knows that the U.S. sees India “as regional policeman and America’s bulwark against China.” To win favor with the U.S., the Pakistani government feels it must accommodate India. But it’s not worth it. We need to show the U.S. and India “that Pakistan will not abandon Kashmir for money.”
While the U.S. government has been generous, the American people have been pinching pennies, said the Karachi Dawn. International aid organizations have received a mere fraction of the donations from private citizens that they received after past disasters, including the January earthquake in Haiti. Apathy is even worse in Britain, home to many Pakistanis. Must we appeal to Westerners’ own self-interest? We could point out that every penny that Pakistan spends on flood relief is a penny unavailable for combating Islamic extremism, which threatens the West. Indeed, while Western democrats sit on their hands, Islamic militant groups are mobilizing across Pakistan, distributing aid. The parts of the country hardest hit by floods are, coincidentally, poor regions that are known “for supplying fresh blood” to extremist groups. “Thus, if it is not moved by a pure humanitarian urge, the outside world has a selfish reason to step forward quickly to help Islamabad undertake rebuilding in these areas.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Appealing to fear, though, could easily backfire, said Samira Shackle in Britain’s New Statesman. Many Westerners—particularly Americans and Britons—already associate Pakistan with extremism. “The thought that these people are just waiting for the chance to strap themselves with explosives and declare war on the West is hardly going to inspire people to dig deep and give generously.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
No equipment for Afghanistan
feature The U.S. has reportedly decided to hand over to Pakistan some $7 billion worth of American military hardware currently in Afghanistan.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
How they see us: Crudely insulting our allies
feature Well, at least we know now what the Americans really think of us.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Spied-upon Germans are not mollified
feature In the wake of revelations last year about the NSA's spying activities, relations between Germany and the U.S. have been at an all-time low.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Is a deal with the U.S. in Iran’s interest?
feature The “unprecedented enthusiasm” of Western diplomats after the talks in Geneva suggests they received unexpected concessions from the Iranians.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
How they see us: Sowing chaos in Libya
feature The kidnapping of Abu Anas al-Libi is an outrage committed against Libyan sovereignty—and it will have repercussions.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Europe is complicit in spying
feature It’s not just the Americans who have developed a gigantic spying apparatus.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Protecting Snowden
feature American whistle-blower Edward Snowden has proved a master spy with his “meticulously timed operation.”
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Listening in on Europeans
feature Europeans are apoplectic over the U.S. National Security Agency's massive PRISM surveillance program.
By The Week Staff Last updated