Tunisian View: Kashmir Victims Ignored

“The huge divide between the world’s rich and poor is well-illustrated by the yawning gap in assistance offered those who suffer nature’s wrath. According to this op-ed article from Tunisia’s Tunis Hebdo, the failure of the international community to deal more equitably with disaster victims is a sad reflection of the world we live in. The website watchingamerica.com provides a global view of the USA.

The devastation of this terrifying earthquake would have been far less severe if the buildings in this area of Pakistan, well-known for its seismic instability, were built according the criteria and materials suited to such a region. But because of the abysmal management of the relief operation and the completely unprecedented extent of the devastation, the opposition will take advantage of the dissatisfaction in the country to flay President Musharraf and to weaken him, a man who has gone against the majority of his own government to offer his outstretched hand to that bloodthirsty man, [Ariel] Sharon.

Moreover, several of his Pakistani detractors believe very strongly that this earthquake is heaven’s penalty for the intrigues of their leader. The same applies to Bush, according to these same informers, in regard to the torments of “Katrina” as well as his loss of popularity, because he displeased God by deciding to occupy Iraq militarily.

None of these surreal calculations answer to any objective criterion. But this simply indicates that many people apportion some share of the blame for these events to the blunders of our decision makers. These include some in their own ranks, such as the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, renowned for his outspokenness. According to him, all of the recent major catastrophes that have occurred, in Pakistan, in the United States or in Central America, “are the work of capitalism!!”