The time has come for the US and its Western allies to jump in and aid Pakistan. The State Department has provided a list of things it has done to date - here, which seems a bit meager in comparison to the outpouring of aid to Haiti ($55 million compared to over $662 million dollars), where US relief agencies received $1.3 billion to aid Haiti - here.
For the past few years, USA drones have been dropping bombs on an area close to the flood zone. We understand it's hard to switch gears, but "winning the hearts and minds of the region" strategy should have the USA downsize its war game and up-tick its emergency aid.
What a great gesture of friendship building it would be if Americans would reach out to the people of Pakistan at this time by donating to either secular organizations such as Oxfam or Islamic Relief.
If you are in the USA, a list of agencies that are attempting to help can be found here, though we encourage people to avoid organizations with an overt Christian mission.
Our Intelligence Report
Now - the problem, of course, will be getting money onto the ground and into the right hands, as much of it will be threatened by corruption. The flooding hits the bread basket of Pakistan, endangering the country's economy. Currently hardline groups that are against the central government, and have been known to engage in militant actions, have mobilized quickly (here). There appears to be growing anger in population at the central governments slow response, which could undermine central authority and strengthen the hands of local radical-insurgent groups. As the long term economic impact hits the country of Pakistan expect radical groups to gain more local ground. Therefore, in order to forestall what could turn into a wide anti-central government movement, the world's powers need to act quickly.
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