Causecast

by KAREN MURPHY, Contributing Writer

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced today that the U.S. will send $110 million in humanitarian aid to Pakistan to help the two million refugees who have been forced from their homes from the intense fighting between Taliban militants and the Pakistani government in and around the Swat valley.

(Am I the only one who jumped right to S.W.A.T. teams here after that last sentence?)

(Also, is it fair to mention that this new round of intense fighting began as a result of U.S. pressure on Pakistan to do something about the Taliban, which has been taking up stronger positions across Pakistan and Afghanistan? Pakistan won’t let the U.S. military in to fight, but the U.S. may be hoping its troops will be delivering the aid to refugees, which would help shore up PR in the region.)

I know we get all warm and fuzzy whenever we hear the phrase "humanitarian aid," but let’s wear our Skeptic Hats and break this down:

-These people are in huge crisis, no doubt about it.
-$26 million to buy wheat and other goods in Pakistan. Good move — that’ll help the Pakistani economy. Check.
-$15 million more for other food. Check.
-$20 million for tents, radios, generators. Basic stuff for people who had to run and fast. Check.
-$17 million of surplus U.S. wheat. Whoa, there. That one leaves a skeptical taste. I thought we hardly had any extra. Huh. Why couldn’t we buy more from Pakistan? Or from Punjab, which has tons of extra wheat and is a lot closer to Pakistan than the U.S. and probably doesn’t have a shady history when it comes to playing with world food stocks. Just a thought.
But whatever the political shenanigans going on surrounding this move (my Inner Skeptic tells me there are some … like trying to slip in an eventual U.S. military entry to Pakistan), the two million Pakistanis who have been displaced desperately need help. The $110 million, even added to the $60 million already headed that direction won’t go far among two million people.

Here’s what you can do:

Contribute a quick and easy $5 by texting "SWAT" to 2022.
Donate to USAID, which is providing ongoing relief to the people of Pakistan to assist with basic subsistence as well as with education, economic development, infrastructure, and other programs.
United Nations aid agencies are also hard at work helping ensure refugees have food.
Donate to OXFAM, working to help refugees, especially women, children, and people with disabilities gain access to clean water, sanitation facilities, hygiene materials, and other essentials.

Image by Mr. Kris, flickr