Associated Press reports today that although devastating floods have "disrupted" the lives of 14 million people across Pakistan, foreign aid is only trickling in. ["Trickling" is AP's word, not Walt's attempt at a pun. ed.]
The UN says $310 milliion is needed, down from $450 million reported yesterday. Of that, under $100 million has been collected, with about another $30 million pledged.
That compares rather poorly with the billion dollars in aid has been pledged to Haiti. (But see my recent post saying that less than half the help pledged has yet to arrive.) International do-gooding experts are trying to figure out why.
Among the theories being considered is "bad attitudes to Pakistan" engendered by links to terrorism or corruption. Could it be that someone has been reading Walt's blog? Or possibly the hundreds of reports recently leaked through Wikileaks. [Update: Wikileaks head honcho says more are on the way. ed.]
Some even suggest Pakistan's own handling of the disaster has done little to instill confidence foreign aid would be put to good use. You read it here first!
Molly Kinder, a Pakistan aid expert with the Washington-based Center for Global Development, suggests the lack of celebrity involvement may be a factor. She told AP, "I haven't exactly seen Lady Gaga go on Oprah to pledge donations to Pakistan's flood victims."
A UN spokesperson in Pakistan has a more macabre explanation. "Unfortunately, sometimes a segment of the public only looks at the death toll," Maurizio Giuliano told AP, noting that only around 1,500 people have lost their lives in the Pakistan floods so far. Efforts are under way to get the body count up into the catastrophe range.
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