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Hope amongst Pakistan's ruins
As bad as the flood damage is in Pakistan, there is a positive side. My latest article on the afpak channel is about the young Pakistanis with the skills and connections to do what their leaders can't.
"Pakistan is beset by a serious lack of good governance. Analysts such as the scholars at the Pak Institute of Peace Studies have argued for some time that this absence is a driving force behind whatever support extremists in Pakistan can claim. In recent weeks, the Air Blue crash in Islamabad and the government's poor reaction to the floods have drawn more attention to this fracture at the heart of the country. No matter how much aid flows into Pakistan from the outside, Pakistanis themselves must ultimately ensure the formation of governments that serve the people they claim to represent. And surprisingly, possibly the one positive thing to emerge from the floods is growing evidence that young Pakistanis - the educated sons and daughters of well-off families - are willing and able to show that collective action for the public good is not something that is only possible in other countries."
For all its problems there are assets Pakistan has that can serve it well in the future. This includes a tradition of public debate, appreciation for a free press, a healthy culture of dissent against unfettered executive power and a fairly independent civil society. The military in Pakistan is hugely influential but doesn't define the state - possibly because it wasn't instrumental in its inception. The idea of Islam defines the state, but at the same time it remains a vague concept that the people who call the shots don't agree on. That's a problem but also an opportunity for Pakistan. Those who say Islam is all about fighting Kafirs can't completely silence those that say its about raising living standards and providing medical relief.
The question about engagement in Pakistan isn't about whether or not potential partners exist.
UPDATE: I'm not the only optimist. Read Mohsin Hamid's article in the FT.
"Countless individual responses to the floods also inspire hope. Massive collections are under way in Lahore. Virtually everyone I know is donating money, time or goods - or all three - to the relief effort. Societal safety nets, the welfare micro-systems of families and friends that bind Pakistanis together in the absence of a strong and effective state, are doing what they can to help with the unprecedented load.
Hope also comes from the rise of a powerful and independent news media, and from a judiciary that has fought for - and won - remarkable freedom. Pakistan's airwaves and front pages, blogs and cafés are full of the debates of a rambunctious multi-party democracy, one of precious few in the region between India and Europe."
1600 confirmed dead and
1600 confirmed dead and climbing.
Chief Humping-Two-Dogs says: The God's are punishing / urinating on Pakistan for hurting our people. Let them sink-or swim. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WNLLNxURt4&feature=related
America is beset by a
America is beset by a serious lack of good governance. Analysts have argued for some time that this absence is a driving force behind whatever support extremists in Washington can claim. In recent months, the economic crash and the government's poor reaction to the BP oil spill have drawn more attention to this fracture at the heart of the country. No matter how much aid flows into Washington from the outside the Beltway, Americans themselves must ultimately ensure the formation of a government that serve the people they claim to represent.
You're an idiot journalist,
You're an idiot journalist, Londonstani (if we follow AM's thought process)
Get out of there and enjoy DC, before you get dysentery, man!
U.S. Aid to Pakistan: $1.5
U.S. Aid to Pakistan: $1.5 billion a year as of Oct 2009
As of November 2001, The Washington Post:
Pakistan has played a crucial role in the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan, providing bases for logistical support and training. In return, Congress, at the administration's request, has lifted the sanctions on U.S. aid that were imposed on Pakistan and India in 1998 after both countries exploded underground nuclear devices. Additional sanctions were put on Pakistan when Musharraf overthrew a democratic government in 1999. Pakistan owes $38 billion in foreign debt, much of it to the United States.
Okay, what's Pakistan's current foreign debt?
I've got a plan: let's sell Pakistan to China! They hold $844 billion in U.S. treasuries - a bit more than Japan (at $804B), followed by the UK, oil exporting nations (Saudis, Kuwaitis, etc.) and, most hilariously, Caribbean Banking Centers:
http://www.ustreas.gov/tic/mfh.txt
In debt to a debtor. . . There is a way out of this, but you're not gonna like it. . . yes, Pakistan-India reunification! Or, barring that, how about cutting Kashmir loose as an independent state?
Then, perhaps Pakistan could stop spending so much on ridiculously expensive nuclear weapons programs, and instead work on public education and infrastructure construction, two things Pakistan is obviously in need of. This little Cold War with India is just too expensive - and they're both in the same boat now, along with Bangladesh.
Certain elite (I'd even say
Certain elite (I'd even say hot lady's) member's of the U.S. Department of Defense are now promoting, sponsoring and even donating money to this company. http://www.stillwaters.com.pk/corp/ Check it out for yourself.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Still-Waters/263437386900
What's the best way to quickly understand your enemy? Read their poems, watch their films and read the literature! >:)
Wouldn't mind being water-boarded by a couple of the sponsor's of Still Waters!
Londonstani - This is the
Londonstani -
This is the best - and most hopeful - article I've read in a long, long time. Thank you. Admirable young people. What sources are people donating to if they'd like to help the flood victims? I've seen mention of lots of private groups but I don't know anything about them and I am ever a skeptic. I tend to stick to what I know, like the American Red Cross.
I'm afraid that my constant harping against certain kinds of aid to Pakistan comes across as Indian (or Indian-American) Pakistani "bashing" but it's never been about that. It's always been about my worry that the people will suffer as a result of the corroding influence of such monies. You made the related point nicely in this article. We in the West share some blame for the dysfunction. Yet only Pakistanis can fundamentally change things.
Some time back, in the comments section at Registan, I noted a BBC program that interviewed a Pakistani businessman. He made the very interesting point that rules and regulations for some industries are fewer in Pakistan than India because, in order to be more competitive given the realities, the business community had to make concessions. I wanted to hear more about the Pakistani "free-marketers" and local trade. It gives a different impression than the typical article about Pakistan which veers from discussing radicalism and radicals, to artists and NGO groups. And yet, little about business and how it is conducted.
You have a lot on your plate now and more important things to do given the extent of the flooding, but perhaps in the future you could highlight these measures or point to articles about trade groups? I read recently that surgical instruments that are made in Pakistan are widely exported in the region, including to India. Fascinating.
Again, very well done.
(Abu M and Londonstani, I want to apologize for my most recent intemperate outburst in the comments section as "Anon is all you deserve" under one of the wikileaks post. It was uncalled for. There is no excuse for my online behavior. None.)
Actually, one good
Actually, one good organization people can get up to date information on disaster relief or donate money to, that is assisting is Merlin.
Rather than giving money to the Pakistan Government and not knowing where it goes... or if it actually went to help those in need, it would be much better to give to an NGO like Merlin.
Good luck with your work Londonstani.
http://www.merlin.org.uk/
http://www.kansascity.com/201
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/29/2184496/why-so-many-americans-are-h...
Hope for change.
"Anti-Muslim feelings aren't likely to decline substantially until American attitudes improve toward the religion itself, said Dalia Mogahed, the executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies." "Muslims are the most negatively viewed faith community in the country, Gallup found. However, Pew polling finds that Americans also think that Muslims face the most discrimination of any U.S. religious group, which could imply a sense of sympathy."
Refreshing to read this article. During my life, I lived less than 100 yds from a Mosque in the mid-west (U.S.) for 2 years and later worked in Jerusalem, near the Dome of the Rock, for an entire summer. During those periods in my life, I never observed vandalism, violence or racial tensions by any individuals who lived in the local communities. None.
Let them build a mosque @ Ground Zero. Would American's be protesting in large numbers today, if a group of people of Wiccan faith were attempting to built a place of worship in Salem, Massachusetts? I think not.
It will probably take some time, but building a Mosque in NYC, will bring our nation one step closer to healing from the last decade of blood, violence and war.
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