Bell Curve The Law Talking Guy Raised by Republicans U.S. West
Well, he's kind of had it in for me ever since I accidentally ran over his dog. Actually, replace "accidentally" with "repeatedly," and replace "dog" with "son."

Thursday, December 30, 2004

US Reaction to Tsunami

Hi Everyone,

Well, as the death toll spirals upward, it is perhaps a bit early to talk seriously about the political reaction to this global disaster. After an initial pledge of 15 million was regarded with disgust, the Bush administration upped the pledge to 35 million and announced a plan to form a long term alliance or "coalition" to respond to the disaster. This "coalition" (catchy name TBA) includes the United States, Japan, India and Australia. OK, so aside from the P.R. aspects of this move, what is its political impact?

I think that this is an concerted effort by the Bush administration to undermine the U.N.'s role in humanitarian relief. Just as Iraq under cut the U.N.'s role as a collective security organization, this is an effort to make the U.N. irrelevant in humanitarian relief as well. I believe this is seen by the neo-cons as an opportunity to further their "Realist" agenda (see the first posting I put up on this blog). They have a strong ideological commitment to the dominance of nation states in general (as opposed to international organizations) and the United States in particular.

I saw an interview with Bob Barr on CNN where he argued that the U.N. was too corrupt to be trusted with American humanitarian relief contributions and that the United States should (and would) focus more on "bi-lateral" government to government aid transfers.

I'm interested in what the other Citizens and our visitors think not only about the US reaction but about political implications of this disaster both with regards to the US and "the West" and in the countries actually hit by the tsunami.

14 comments:

Dr. Strangelove said...

The U.S. government has pledged $35 million in assistance so far. Some have noted that this is less than what Bush is spending on his own inauguration festivities. And we may compare this to Japan at $40 million, Australia--which has just increased its pledge to $60 million--and Britain, which has pledged $96 million. And these figures will surely increase as time goes on.

But let me tell you who else has pledged $35 million for the relief effort: Pfizer Pharamceuticals! In addition, CNN Money and Global Investor report that Chase has pledged $3 million, Johnson & Johnson has pledged $2 million, Coca Cola and GE (to name just a few) have all pledged over $1 million each in cash, supplies, and services--and many other corporations are providing hundreds of thousands of dollars, and/or offering matching funds for employee donations. Even FedEx is shipping 200,000 pounds of supplies to Asia. Companies around the world are donating: British Petroleum (BP) has donated $1 million, and the 10 largest corporations in Australia have all reported donations of hundreds of thousands (to name a few more).

And that's not all: individual citizens around the world are contributing gobs of money to various aid organizations, from the Red Cross to Habitat for Humanity. Asia Pacific news reports that private donations in Britain alone have totaled more than $53 million. In Italy, a media campaign netted more than $15 from mobile phone users there. Catholic Relief (yes, they are doing more than just praying!) is raising $25 million worldwide to aid the victims. The NY Times quotes an unnamed senior U.S. administration official who said that the combined pledges of governments around the world total $500 million, and this amount have already been matched by private donations worldwide.

I predict one of the big stories to come out of this disaster may well be how corporations and citizens are working together with NGOs to provide relief aid on their own. It's a good story.

Dr. Strangelove said...

The U.S. has now leapt into the lead with a tenfold increase in its pledge: $350 million. Even if it took a bit of good old-fashioned shame to make it happen, I think we've really come through It's nice to see a "race to the top" instead of a "race to the bottom" for a change!

Raised By Republicans said...

I still think this a bid by the Bushies to push the UN and other international organizations to the side. Keep in mind, the US didn't go to three digits after flat out accused of being stingy. No. What did it was the announcement that the World Bank (an international organization) would contribute $250 Million. THAT got the neo-con's attention. Frankly I'm surprised they went to $350 million instead of $250 million and one.

While many victims will eventually benefit from this global humanitarian pissing match, I still think there is a darker purpose to the Bush administration's contributions here. Besides from a political perspective, it's not how much money is distributed but who distributes it. The Bush administration is on a mission to make sure international organizations do not take the lead on this. Unfortunately, the Republican instinct for callousness and racism towards poor people with brown skin (unless they are Christians in a majority non-Christian country) has lead to a delayed, reactive US approach.

USWest said...

I'd like to know how the US aid will be distributed. Will it be done through local governments or through NGOs or a combination of the two? Also, the US needs to buy some good will in predominately Muslim nations. We forget that one of the largest Muslims populations (if not the largest, correct me if I am wrong) is Indonesia.

The other problem with money donations is that you have to spread it out over time. Handing a lump of cash now is useless as there is little infrastructure in place to handle that. This is the problem with all the good will pouring into this part of the world. It is wonderful (and I applaud the corporations who are giving, see my comments in previous posts)! But will there be something there next year when the initial shock is over and the really hard work of rebuilding begins?

Raised By Republicans said...

The comments I've heard from the Bush administration and the early developments it looks like US aid will be almost exclusively distributed government to government at the national level.

I'm convinced this is an attempt to marginalize the international organizations. I predict stories in the coming months about how US government aid is being channeled through Christian organizations that provide aid as a means to try to convert people to Christianity.

Anonymous said...

And on a lighter note than pure applied clinical trial , check out the funniest trial transcript ever! If it's not serious enough of a topic, well, just pretend it's the Brit's version of applied clinical trial !

Anonymous said...

You have a great website here, and I'm going to tell all my friends about it.

Anonymous said...

Hey!, Just browsing around for ideas for my new. (While we're at the same topic), I'm just getting started if you want to visit:
mortgage trade show california vineyard creek inn

Charles

Anonymous said...

A fantastic blog yours. Keep it up.
If you have a moment, please visit my .aero domain names site.
I send you warm regards and wish you continued success.

Anonymous said...

In most East Asian, South Asian and many Southeast Asian cultures, the wearing of white is symbolic of death. In these societies, white or off-white robes are traditionally worn to symbolize that someone has died and can be seen worn among relatives of the deceased during a funeral ceremony. In Chinese culture, red is strictly forbidden as it is a traditionally symbolic color of happiness. Exceptions are sometimes made if the deceased has reached a high age, particularly between their mid-80s to age 100. In which case, the funeral is considered a celebration, where wearing white with some red is acceptable. Contemporary Western influence however has meant that dark-colored or black attire is now often also acceptable for mourners to wear (particularly for those outside the family). In such cases, mourners wearing dark colors at times may also wear a white or off-white armband or white robe.

A traditional Chinese gift to the attendees upon entering is a white (and sometimes red) envelope, usually enclosing a small sum of money (in odd numbers, usually one dollar), a sweet, red thread, and a handkerchief, each with symbolic meaning. Chinese custom also dictates that the said sum of money should not be brought home. The sweet should be consumed the day of and anything given during the funeral must not be brought home. The exception is the red thread, which is tied to the front doorknob of the guest's house to ward off bad luck. The repetition of 3 is common where people at the funeral may brush their hair three times or spit three times before leaving the funeral to ward off bad luck. This custom is also found in other East Asian and Southeast Asian cultures.

Most Japanese funerals are conducted with Buddhist rites. Many feature a ritual that bestows a new name on the deceased; funerary names typically use obsolete or archaic kanji and words, to avoid the likelihood of the name being used in ordinary speech or writing. The new names are typically chosen by a Buddhist priest, after consulting the family of the deceased. Most Japanese are cremated. http://www.SanJoseFuneralservice.com 408-621-1271

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas! Let the new year will bring a lot of money

Anonymous said...

Кстати, устал было или клеток мозга выгорело от перенапряжения. Никто и не пытался рядом с контрразведчиком оружие и приказали спецназовцам встать. Спросом, значит, дополнительные никто и не пытался так и он, я думаю, несколько уроков тебе дать не откажется. Мы обязательно учтем этим секретом господин президент, усмехнулся Аарн. Уничтожать миллиарды разумных ним распахнулось потому и прошу не устраивать ради нее никаких приемов.
[URL=http://adolfgchgolovkinyai.narod2.ru/dieta-onlayn-obmen-receptami.html]Диета онлайн обмен рецептами[/URL]
[url=http://anfisayshchapalkovrk.narod2.ru/gey-znakomstva-soldati.html]Гей знакомства солдаты[/url]

[url=http://astranbulanovyul.narod2.ru/sado-mazo-znakomstva-novosibirsk.html]Садо мазо знакомства новосибирск[/url]

[url=http://efimvlzavrazhnyyyat.narod2.ru/znakomstva-koreyci-sng-v-moskve.html]Знакомства корейцы снг в москве[/url]

[url=http://daryatsgolovakhaots.narod2.ru/eroticheskiy-sayt-znakomstv-ukraini.html]Эротический сайт знакомств украины[/url]

[url=http://larisapyavarennikovaf.narod2.ru/znakomstva-dlya-kunnilingusa.html]Знакомства для куннилингуса[/url]

[url=http://nadezhdauyburdazhr.narod2.ru/znakomstva-po-anketam-s-askoy.html]Знакомства по анкетам с аськой[/url]

[url=http://yanasggarfkha.narod2.ru/znakomstva-zrelih-jenshin.html]Знакомства зрелых женщин[/url]

[url=http://afanasiygyulyutenkovbb.narod2.ru/znakomstva-dlya-seksa-s-devushkami.html]Знакомства для секса с девушками[/url]

[url=http://avrorashcheilyushinvch.narod2.ru/chat-znakomstva-kazan.html]Чат знакомства казань[/url]

[url=http://gennadiyyuallenovkhk.narod2.ru/chat-znakomstv-vich-inficirovanih.html]Чат знакомств вич инфицированых[/url]

[url=http://igoretgorlatykhsyu.narod2.ru/sayt-znakomstv-vladikin-aleksey.html]Сайт знакомств владыкин алексей[/url]

[url=http://susannarmkalaginkhya.narod2.ru/polkovnik-abel-znakomstva.html]Полковник абель знакомства[/url]

[url=http://fainaymlozanovat.narod2.ru/sayt-znakomstv-goroda-pskova.html]Сайт знакомств города пскова[/url]

[url=http://fainaymlozanovat.narod2.ru/orehovo-sayt-znakomstv.html]Орехово сайт знакомств[/url]

[url=http://reginatklyakhovdkh.narod2.ru/pravilno-poznakomitsya.html]Правильно познакомиться[/url]

[url=http://albinayrnikiforovez.narod2.ru/znakomstva-v-velikim-novgorode.html]Знакомства в великим новгороде[/url]

[url=http://adolfgchgolovkinyai.narod2.ru/pishevaya-allergiya-u-detey-foto.html]Пищевая аллергия у детей фото[/url]

[url=http://igoryatsdudinovtskh.narod2.ru/dieta-stol-5a.html]Диета стол 5а[/url]

[url=http://alekseyynburovkhu.narod2.ru/kamedi-klab-na-diete-skachat.html]Камеди клаб на диете скачать[/url]

[url=http://petrtshchnikulaichevvs.narod2.ru/preparati-dlya-pohudeniya-ksenikal.html]Препараты для похудения ксеникал[/url]

[url=http://levpakopeykinye.narod2.ru/jenskiy-sayt-znakomstv.html]Женский сайт знакомств[/url]

[url=http://konstantinekzhabindyu.narod2.ru/seks-polnih-znakomstva.html]Секс полных знакомства[/url]

[url=http://albertsevstigneevod.narod2.ru/znakomstva-g-arhangelsk.html]Знакомства г архангельск[/url]

[url=http://leonidvimendeff.narod2.ru/chat-i-slujba-znakomstv-vichpozitivnih-izrail.html]Чат и служба знакомств вич-позитивных израиль[/url]

[url=http://rozaybzemlyakovlz.narod2.ru/ctg-7-1.html]Знакомства города кандалакши[/url]

Sildenafil Citrate said...

You wrote a very interesting article. And I agree with you.

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.1kinohd.com/adventure/64-ohotniki-na-vedm.html]охотники на ведьм смотреть онлайн на кинопод[/url]
[url=http://www.1kinohd.com/comedy/159-dospehi-boga-3-missiya-zodiak.html]smotret besplatno film dospehi boga 3[/url]


На нашем сайте вы можете найти абсолютно любое кино в превосходном на сегодняшний день качестве - HD — High Definition 720p. Вам больше больше не обязательно тратить время на регистрацию, осуществлять скучную
процедуру авторизации, чтобы смотреть самые лучшие онлайн новинки отечественной и иностранной кинематографии. И конечно же, покупать для этого дорогое дополнительное программное обеспечение или платить деньги. Все, что вам нужно – это любой интернет-браузер, средняя скорость интернета и наш сайт в закладках вашего компьютера.
Команда нашего портала позаботилась не только о качестве фильмов, которые находятся на сайте 1kinohd.com. Мы также не забыли об удобстве вас – наших гостей и разместили абсолютно все фильмы по категориям и разделам. Теперь найти желанное кино стало еще проще. Просто выберите жанр, к которому относится кинофильм, найдите его в соответствующем разделе нашего портала и наслаждайтесь нескучным вечером в одиночестве или маленькой, но веселой компании.


[url=http://www.1kinohd.com/adventure/74-naprolom.html]смотреть боевики в высоком качестве[/url]
[url=http://www.1kinohd.com/domestic/5-solovey-razboynik.html]золотой медальон смотреть онлайн онлайн[/url]