Jan Egeland, the United Nations' undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, sure did get clobbered over his use of the word "stingy" in reference to the initial outpouring of millions of dollars in US and Western aid for those countries affected by the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia. But statements like his aren't formed in a vacuum, not even when emanating from the vacuous UN. Seems it was former President Jimmy Carter who, back in 1999 at a lecture at Principia College, said, "We are the stingiest nation of all."
The good news is that, regardless of who gets to claim first dibs on the "s" word, the comment kicked off a massive giving spree by nations vying for the position of least stingy. Last week, Fox News headlines had France (no kidding) claiming that they were the number one donors as they tried to one-up America's initial $35 million with $57 million of their own. It seems they felt the need to give after "barbs from Washington about the extent of French generosity." At present, Japan leads the pack with $500 million. And, under international pressure, even some of the Arab nations, like Saudi Arabia, are grudgingly upping their rather paltry pledges. Seems Egeland may have done a mitzvah after all. Could be that sometimes a little arrogance, pride and healthy competition may go a long way to help a very unhealthy world. Sometimes, but not always.
Soon-to-be-former Secretary of State Colin Powell hopes that the American aid will bolster US and regional security by removing the discontent that could fuel terrorism. That attitude, as well as the following quote, may come back to haunt him and all Americans: "We hope that through these efforts people will see that the United States is committed to helping those who are in poverty, to those who are not able to educate their children, to those who are looking for jobs and need a country that is based on law and order."
What could possibly be wrong with the above very stars and stripes quote from Powell? Try reading in between the lines as someone from Southeast Asia would and you may come up with an answer as to why American goodwill is often met with scorn by other nations.
Ideally, the aid should at least appear to be given as a purely altruistic, humanitarian effort by a blessed nation to those less fortunate - without the ulterior motives. That sort of attempt at authenticity could go a long way. Statements like "We hope that through these efforts people will see that the United States is committed to helping those who... need a country that is based on law and order," appear arrogant to people who naturally have pride in their heritage and carry nationalistic sentiments (even if some of us think that the value systems in some of those countries are warped).
Let's be fair. The citizens and nations of Southeast Asia are, for the most part, industrious, ethical and law-abiding. The people work as hard, if not harder, and are as smart, if not smarter, than your average American, Swede or Israeli. Many of them are as equally devout and G-d-fearing, too.
That some of these nations are fairly new and torn by civil war and factional strife should not be news to an America that in her youth managed to rack up 620,000 deaths in her own civil war (and that was before the age of RPGs, M16s, tanks and CIA meddling). And America's pioneering ancestors facilitated in the decline of a Native American population that numbered an estimated 12 million in 1500 and was reduced to barely 237,000 by 1900 (ethnic cleansing? genocide? Surely not part of the American way).
In addition, it seems the scales are tipped against Asia for some heavenly and earthly reasons beyond anyone's control.
A February 2004 research paper prepared for the Swedish Embassy in Thailand by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center reports that, "80% of the natural disasters worldwide occur in Asia; and of these, 80% are hydro-meteorological or climate related. In the decade from 1991 to 2001, natural disasters affected over 1.7 million Asians, costing 369 billion dollars in damage to hard-won assets."
That sort of erratic environment is bound to shape the attitudes and culture of a people (as well as their pocketbooks). One can understand why a belief in karma or a tendency towards fatalism would most likely typify the attitude of many of those living in regions that get overturned on a regular basis.
Americans and those nations in the West should be grateful for the kind of geographic and meteorological conditions and stability that has allowed for a flourishing of political, educational, moral and economic development. America's wealth and superpower status should be recognized as a divine gift, and not necessarily nor exclusively due to the Protestant work ethic or Judeo-Christian values. Try and remember the lyrics to America the Beautiful. I believe the "amber waves of grain" and "fruited plain" are due to G-d shedding "His grace on thee."
In addition to being grateful, a G-d-fearing individual should be fully aware that the bountiful side of the scale could be tipped over in a matter of seconds. And it's not just the devout among us who are saying (or seeing) this...
It seems this 9.0 earthquake caused the earth to wobble on its axis by about an inch, resulting in a change of regional geography by a few meters, and it also cut the length of a day by a few millionths of a second. "That earthquake has changed the map," according to geological experts.
I don't know what you think about chaos theory, but it does seem like a lot of butterflies have been flapping their wings lately. For those of you unfamiliar with the "butterfly effect", it seems that some chirping canaries could trigger a volcanic eruption in Spain's Canary Islands, which "could unleash a mega-tsunami larger than any in recorded history" and send "a wall of water up to 55 yards high crashing into the Atlantic seaboard of the United States, flattening everything in its path...." (Okay, the chirping canaries is my addition, but the rest came off the news wire from recognized scientific sources.)
I keep wondering if chaos theory can also work like this: could it be that a Palestinian Arab throwing a rock, which crushes the skull of an Israeli baby, inspires a global jihad, which topples twin towers and initiates wars? Like 9/11, it appears that 12/26 could also have global repercussions and henceforth be known as "the day the earth wobbled".
I also don't think we can judge these nations for not having a sophisticated warning system in place, any more than we can blame the US State Department for not issuing travel advisories to those citizens traveling in earthquake, tsunami and volcanic zones without warning systems in place (after all, they issue enough travel advisories with regards to Israel - and we take all kinds of precautions).
When commenting during Florida's devastating succession of hurricanes, Andy Coburn, associate director of the Duke University program for the study of developed shorelines, had this to say: "[With] enough money, you can build buildings resistant against the wind.... The force of water is completely different. We don't have the technology or the economic feasibility that can withstand the forces of moving water."
It's interesting to note that even the best-built concrete buildings and shelters on the very wealthy Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean crumbled before the force of a hurricane. Keep in mind that the tiny island of 40,000 people had days to prepare and evacuate before the storm.
According to post-tsunami reports, the death toll among animals in Southeast Asia was negligible. Seems they have a sixth sense, as do some of the village elders. Truth be told, when it comes to predicting natural disasters, watching an elephant or listening to your elders may work as well or better than the latest technology.
Americans may pride themselves on their well-built structures, but Bam, an Iranian city made of mud and straw, stood for 2,000 years in a region that's regularly rocked by quakes before it fell on 12/26 (2003). That's far longer than any American metropolis has stood. Ever wonder why San Francisco has been rebuilt time and time again on the same San Andreas fault? Why not just rebuild the city elsewhere - like in the dustbowl or hurricane belt? The bottom line is that we're all terribly vulnerable.
And what about the number of thieves, rapists, kidnappers, pirates and slave traders proliferating in Southeast Asia's disaster area, when compared with the relatively minor incidents of looting, shooting the locks off of ice machines and punching guys out in gas lines that occurred in Florida's hurricane zone? Well, there was a minimal death toll from the storm, plenty to eat, time and money to prepare for disaster, and Florida was to soon be on the receiving end of multi-billions of dollars in disaster aid. One has to wonder how the residents of any Western nation would hold up if faced with a tragedy comparable to the one currently facing Southeast Asia (just keep praying that you never have to find out).
At this point in time, few can (and some don't want to) one-up the US government when it comes to the numbers game, and the immense outpouring of foreign and humanitarian aid. But it is also not likely that those countries sponsoring terror will see the light when it comes to the goodness of the USA. All they'll see is that while $2 billion go to aid, $200 billion goes towards sponsoring the war effort in Iraq. So what's so wrong if Saudi Arabia only donates $10 million towards the tsunami fund and $150 million towards the proliferation of terror? It seems that the bad guys have learned the lessons of moral equivalency well. Just wait and see what they do with "democratic reforms".
Americans as a people are not "stingy", and they have much to be proud of. But, as Jefferson Morley recently concluded in an article written for the Washington Post, "...the real story may be that Americans are neither Samaritans nor misers. When it comes to generosity, Americans are merely ordinary. But who in the world wants to hear that?"
Maybe, under the circumstances, and with 2,000-plus Americans still unaccounted for in the areas affected by the disaster, pride should tempered with humility. America should just be grateful that they're in the position to help. Give while you can, because, as we've just seen, there are no guarantees of what tomorrow may bring.
The good news is that, regardless of who gets to claim first dibs on the "s" word, the comment kicked off a massive giving spree by nations vying for the position of least stingy. Last week, Fox News headlines had France (no kidding) claiming that they were the number one donors as they tried to one-up America's initial $35 million with $57 million of their own. It seems they felt the need to give after "barbs from Washington about the extent of French generosity." At present, Japan leads the pack with $500 million. And, under international pressure, even some of the Arab nations, like Saudi Arabia, are grudgingly upping their rather paltry pledges. Seems Egeland may have done a mitzvah after all. Could be that sometimes a little arrogance, pride and healthy competition may go a long way to help a very unhealthy world. Sometimes, but not always.
Soon-to-be-former Secretary of State Colin Powell hopes that the American aid will bolster US and regional security by removing the discontent that could fuel terrorism. That attitude, as well as the following quote, may come back to haunt him and all Americans: "We hope that through these efforts people will see that the United States is committed to helping those who are in poverty, to those who are not able to educate their children, to those who are looking for jobs and need a country that is based on law and order."
What could possibly be wrong with the above very stars and stripes quote from Powell? Try reading in between the lines as someone from Southeast Asia would and you may come up with an answer as to why American goodwill is often met with scorn by other nations.
Ideally, the aid should at least appear to be given as a purely altruistic, humanitarian effort by a blessed nation to those less fortunate - without the ulterior motives. That sort of attempt at authenticity could go a long way. Statements like "We hope that through these efforts people will see that the United States is committed to helping those who... need a country that is based on law and order," appear arrogant to people who naturally have pride in their heritage and carry nationalistic sentiments (even if some of us think that the value systems in some of those countries are warped).
Let's be fair. The citizens and nations of Southeast Asia are, for the most part, industrious, ethical and law-abiding. The people work as hard, if not harder, and are as smart, if not smarter, than your average American, Swede or Israeli. Many of them are as equally devout and G-d-fearing, too.
That some of these nations are fairly new and torn by civil war and factional strife should not be news to an America that in her youth managed to rack up 620,000 deaths in her own civil war (and that was before the age of RPGs, M16s, tanks and CIA meddling). And America's pioneering ancestors facilitated in the decline of a Native American population that numbered an estimated 12 million in 1500 and was reduced to barely 237,000 by 1900 (ethnic cleansing? genocide? Surely not part of the American way).
In addition, it seems the scales are tipped against Asia for some heavenly and earthly reasons beyond anyone's control.
A February 2004 research paper prepared for the Swedish Embassy in Thailand by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center reports that, "80% of the natural disasters worldwide occur in Asia; and of these, 80% are hydro-meteorological or climate related. In the decade from 1991 to 2001, natural disasters affected over 1.7 million Asians, costing 369 billion dollars in damage to hard-won assets."
That sort of erratic environment is bound to shape the attitudes and culture of a people (as well as their pocketbooks). One can understand why a belief in karma or a tendency towards fatalism would most likely typify the attitude of many of those living in regions that get overturned on a regular basis.
Americans and those nations in the West should be grateful for the kind of geographic and meteorological conditions and stability that has allowed for a flourishing of political, educational, moral and economic development. America's wealth and superpower status should be recognized as a divine gift, and not necessarily nor exclusively due to the Protestant work ethic or Judeo-Christian values. Try and remember the lyrics to America the Beautiful. I believe the "amber waves of grain" and "fruited plain" are due to G-d shedding "His grace on thee."
In addition to being grateful, a G-d-fearing individual should be fully aware that the bountiful side of the scale could be tipped over in a matter of seconds. And it's not just the devout among us who are saying (or seeing) this...
It seems this 9.0 earthquake caused the earth to wobble on its axis by about an inch, resulting in a change of regional geography by a few meters, and it also cut the length of a day by a few millionths of a second. "That earthquake has changed the map," according to geological experts.
I don't know what you think about chaos theory, but it does seem like a lot of butterflies have been flapping their wings lately. For those of you unfamiliar with the "butterfly effect", it seems that some chirping canaries could trigger a volcanic eruption in Spain's Canary Islands, which "could unleash a mega-tsunami larger than any in recorded history" and send "a wall of water up to 55 yards high crashing into the Atlantic seaboard of the United States, flattening everything in its path...." (Okay, the chirping canaries is my addition, but the rest came off the news wire from recognized scientific sources.)
I keep wondering if chaos theory can also work like this: could it be that a Palestinian Arab throwing a rock, which crushes the skull of an Israeli baby, inspires a global jihad, which topples twin towers and initiates wars? Like 9/11, it appears that 12/26 could also have global repercussions and henceforth be known as "the day the earth wobbled".
I also don't think we can judge these nations for not having a sophisticated warning system in place, any more than we can blame the US State Department for not issuing travel advisories to those citizens traveling in earthquake, tsunami and volcanic zones without warning systems in place (after all, they issue enough travel advisories with regards to Israel - and we take all kinds of precautions).
When commenting during Florida's devastating succession of hurricanes, Andy Coburn, associate director of the Duke University program for the study of developed shorelines, had this to say: "[With] enough money, you can build buildings resistant against the wind.... The force of water is completely different. We don't have the technology or the economic feasibility that can withstand the forces of moving water."
It's interesting to note that even the best-built concrete buildings and shelters on the very wealthy Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean crumbled before the force of a hurricane. Keep in mind that the tiny island of 40,000 people had days to prepare and evacuate before the storm.
According to post-tsunami reports, the death toll among animals in Southeast Asia was negligible. Seems they have a sixth sense, as do some of the village elders. Truth be told, when it comes to predicting natural disasters, watching an elephant or listening to your elders may work as well or better than the latest technology.
Americans may pride themselves on their well-built structures, but Bam, an Iranian city made of mud and straw, stood for 2,000 years in a region that's regularly rocked by quakes before it fell on 12/26 (2003). That's far longer than any American metropolis has stood. Ever wonder why San Francisco has been rebuilt time and time again on the same San Andreas fault? Why not just rebuild the city elsewhere - like in the dustbowl or hurricane belt? The bottom line is that we're all terribly vulnerable.
And what about the number of thieves, rapists, kidnappers, pirates and slave traders proliferating in Southeast Asia's disaster area, when compared with the relatively minor incidents of looting, shooting the locks off of ice machines and punching guys out in gas lines that occurred in Florida's hurricane zone? Well, there was a minimal death toll from the storm, plenty to eat, time and money to prepare for disaster, and Florida was to soon be on the receiving end of multi-billions of dollars in disaster aid. One has to wonder how the residents of any Western nation would hold up if faced with a tragedy comparable to the one currently facing Southeast Asia (just keep praying that you never have to find out).
At this point in time, few can (and some don't want to) one-up the US government when it comes to the numbers game, and the immense outpouring of foreign and humanitarian aid. But it is also not likely that those countries sponsoring terror will see the light when it comes to the goodness of the USA. All they'll see is that while $2 billion go to aid, $200 billion goes towards sponsoring the war effort in Iraq. So what's so wrong if Saudi Arabia only donates $10 million towards the tsunami fund and $150 million towards the proliferation of terror? It seems that the bad guys have learned the lessons of moral equivalency well. Just wait and see what they do with "democratic reforms".
Americans as a people are not "stingy", and they have much to be proud of. But, as Jefferson Morley recently concluded in an article written for the Washington Post, "...the real story may be that Americans are neither Samaritans nor misers. When it comes to generosity, Americans are merely ordinary. But who in the world wants to hear that?"
Maybe, under the circumstances, and with 2,000-plus Americans still unaccounted for in the areas affected by the disaster, pride should tempered with humility. America should just be grateful that they're in the position to help. Give while you can, because, as we've just seen, there are no guarantees of what tomorrow may bring.