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As Pakistan Drowns, the West Sits on Its Wallet

UN fears country's image problem is to blame

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 18, 2010 5:46 AM CDT

(Newser) – Western governments and individuals don't seem to care about Pakistani flooding victims nearly as much as they did about Haitian earthquake victims, UN officials say. The Pakistan crisis has left millions of people in urgent need of assistance but donations are trickling in much slower than needed, officials tell the New York Times, and less than half the $450 million needed for shelter, food, and clean water has been received.

Some analysts say Pakistan's image problem is to blame, although the UN's humanitarian director says the shortage of donations may be because a slow-moving flood—even when the results are as catastrophic as in Pakistan—fails to produce the dramatic images that an earthquake or tsunami does. "An earthquake is a much more dramatic, emotional, telegenic event because it happens so quickly," he said.

A flood survivor sleeps along a corridor at a school building converted into a temporary camp for displaced people in Multan, Pakistan.
A flood survivor sleeps along a corridor at a school building converted into a temporary camp for displaced people in Multan, Pakistan.   (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Pakistanis displaced by flooding gather with their belongings at a temporary camp near the flood line.
Pakistanis displaced by flooding gather with their belongings at a temporary camp near the flood line.   (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
Pakistani flood survivors sail to safe areas in Dadu Moro near Sukkar, Pakistan yesterday.
Pakistani flood survivors sail to safe areas in Dadu Moro near Sukkar, Pakistan yesterday.   (AP Photo / Shakil Adil)
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Pakistan has bad press. The country evokes corruption, war, the Taliban. This doesn’t help spark emotion. - Filipe Ribeiro, director general
of Doctors Without Borders

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 28 comments
Ultraworld
Aug 18, 2010 11:08 PM CDT
This is another country that would rather have a nuclear arsenal than a flood control system and a relief fund for such disasters. one fifth of the country is under water, but they have nukes!
Naked_Emperor
Aug 18, 2010 12:33 PM CDT
image is everything.
Arthurpa
Aug 18, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
Let the UN bail them out - that's our money, anyway, and at least it would be used for better purposes than whatever crap the UN is dishing out to the third world at our expense.

 
United Nations • Pakistan • flooding • natural disaster • humanitarian crisis • Pakistan flooding

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