US must lead major aid effort in Pakistan to truly defeat 'terror'

The real war on 'terror' must begin
US must lead major aid effort in Pakistan to truly defeat 'terror', says Mark LeVine


At least 20 million people have been affected by the floods (AFP)

Mark LeVine

How can we process the idea of 20 million people left homeless and six million facing immanent starvation, with little or no locally produced food available for at least the next two years? How do you quantify feeding and housing 20,000,000 people - the seven zeros make the sheer scope of the disaster far more tangible than the word "million"?

More broadly, how do you help the sixth most populous country in the world - with 170 million people - recover from a flood that literally submerged one-third of the nation under water, while, in a cruel twist of fate, leaving many without fresh drinking water?

For most of the last decade, the US and its allies have been fighting a so-called 'war on terror' in the badlands of Afghanistan and Pakistan. But today a new 'war on terror' must begin - one that demands a commitment of attention, resources, and expertise far exceeding that devoted to the now outdated war. Failing to do this will result in a rise in extremism on a potentially unparalleled scale.

Unimaginable terror

Imagine the terror felt by 20 million people living without homes, water, medicine or food. Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, has seen plenty of major disasters, but after flying across the flood-hit country he declared, visibly shaken, that he has "never seen a disaster as bad". Even as he spoke, survivors were so desperately grabbing at any relief supplies, ripping at each others' clothes and causing such a level of chaos that in some places aid distribution has had to be stopped.

This terror is not going to numb the Pakistani people into apathy or a stupor. If an unprecedented relief effort on a scale that at least equals the amount of resources devoted to the other 'war on terror' is not mounted soon, an unfathomable level of anger and desperation will develop, with consequences that are impossible to predict.

Full piece: http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2010/08/201081612554999771.html

Pakistan flood relief efforts 'stuck at 1.0'



Sep 02, 2010

One month after the floods, 20 percent of Pakistan is still under water. Yet despite the on-going need, Pakistan floods relief efforts are "stuck at 1.0," reads a recent Wired.com headline.

So far, the U.S has committed $200 million, less than half of what it gave Haiti's smaller population.

"(A) month after the Haiti earthquake the U.S. government had over 20,000 troops on the ground, $450 million in assistance money earmarked, and an innovative web-based system to let troops and aid workers collaborate like never before," http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/09/pakistan-flood-relief">writes Spencer Ackerman.

Corruption issues aside, there are other reasons for this sluggish aid response, he concedes -- getting access to flooded areas is harder than getting access to collapsed one…. Pakistan's traditional uneasiness with U.S. troops on its territory have rendered a Haiti-style ground force unfeasible."

However, given that Pakistan serves as an "inadvertent (mostly) epicenter for al-Qaeda to export terror…maybe it's time to at least bring in more APIs," Ackerman suggests.

For ways you can help Pakistan's flood victims, visit our "http://content.usatoday.com/communities/kindness/post/2010/08/how-to-help-the-victims-of-the-pakistan-floods/1">how to help" page.

From: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/kindness/post/2010/09/pakistan-flood-relief-efforts-stuck-at-10/1