America’s help in the flood crisis
“Our Marines were greeted with hugs and kisses by survivors in the flood-devastated northern Pakistan."
“Our Marines have been greeted with hugs and kisses by survivors in the flood-devastated northern Pakistan," Rear Admiral Sinclair Harris, commander of the Crisis Response Task Force for the Fifth Fleet, told a group of journalists recently on board the US Peleliu off the coast of Karachi. Hugs and kisses. Sounds great! Good tidings for the Americans who face (or faced if one is to believe Admiral Sinclair) a "trust deficit" in Pakistan.
A recent survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project shows that 68 per cent Pakistanis don’t have a favourable view of the US. Why this anti-Americanism? Because many Pakistanis blame the US for the mess in their country: for instability, for insurgency, and for supporting corrupt politicians. But it’s not limited to the Pakistani public alone. Even among Pakistani politicians, the US has few admirers. Most politicians harbour fears that the US will leave Afghanistan after achieving its goals, leaving Pakistan to deal with the consequences.
And they have reasons to believe this. However, President Obama's administration, conceding past mistakes, has said for the umpteenth time that it will not repeat history. And that it wants a long-term partnership with Islamabad. I think the Americans mean it this time around.
And I'll cite America's response to the ongoing flood catastrophe in Pakistan. The US has pledged $150 million in donations, the largest humanitarian response by a single country. This is apart from the vital logistical support. The American military's 19 aircrafts have been ferrying relief supplies to thousands of marooned people and plucking survivors from bloated rivers to safety. And Admiral Harris says another 20 helicopters are on way.
The USS Peleliu, with a 2,100-strong crew and an array of helicopters, is already present off Karachi to support relief operations. Not only that, the Obama administration is also lobbying to muster more and more international support for Pakistan. Admiral Harris says the US relief efforts come from an unwavering "belief in our humanitarian values". So does William Martin, the US consul-general in Karachi. They say that the American response has little to do with burnishing their country's dismal image in Pakistan. But, not everybody in the Obama administration subscribes to it. Richard Holbrooke, President Obama's pointman for Pakistan and Afghanistan, said in a recent interview: "If we do the right thing, it will be good not only for the people whose lives we save but for the US image in Pakistan." Whatever the motives may be, US efforts are, in one word, commendable compared to those of our "time-tested" friends. America-haters among the Pakistani public and America-bashers in politics will also admit this. And I think Mr Holbrooke has every right to say, "The people of Pakistan will see that when the crisis hits, it's not the Chinese. It's not the Iranians. It's not other countries. It's not the EU. It's the US that always leads."
Published in The Express Tribune, August 26th, 2010.
A recent survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project shows that 68 per cent Pakistanis don’t have a favourable view of the US. Why this anti-Americanism? Because many Pakistanis blame the US for the mess in their country: for instability, for insurgency, and for supporting corrupt politicians. But it’s not limited to the Pakistani public alone. Even among Pakistani politicians, the US has few admirers. Most politicians harbour fears that the US will leave Afghanistan after achieving its goals, leaving Pakistan to deal with the consequences.
And they have reasons to believe this. However, President Obama's administration, conceding past mistakes, has said for the umpteenth time that it will not repeat history. And that it wants a long-term partnership with Islamabad. I think the Americans mean it this time around.
And I'll cite America's response to the ongoing flood catastrophe in Pakistan. The US has pledged $150 million in donations, the largest humanitarian response by a single country. This is apart from the vital logistical support. The American military's 19 aircrafts have been ferrying relief supplies to thousands of marooned people and plucking survivors from bloated rivers to safety. And Admiral Harris says another 20 helicopters are on way.
The USS Peleliu, with a 2,100-strong crew and an array of helicopters, is already present off Karachi to support relief operations. Not only that, the Obama administration is also lobbying to muster more and more international support for Pakistan. Admiral Harris says the US relief efforts come from an unwavering "belief in our humanitarian values". So does William Martin, the US consul-general in Karachi. They say that the American response has little to do with burnishing their country's dismal image in Pakistan. But, not everybody in the Obama administration subscribes to it. Richard Holbrooke, President Obama's pointman for Pakistan and Afghanistan, said in a recent interview: "If we do the right thing, it will be good not only for the people whose lives we save but for the US image in Pakistan." Whatever the motives may be, US efforts are, in one word, commendable compared to those of our "time-tested" friends. America-haters among the Pakistani public and America-bashers in politics will also admit this. And I think Mr Holbrooke has every right to say, "The people of Pakistan will see that when the crisis hits, it's not the Chinese. It's not the Iranians. It's not other countries. It's not the EU. It's the US that always leads."
Published in The Express Tribune, August 26th, 2010.