One Crisis Too Many? Washington wants to help Kashmiri earthquake victims, but policymakers are tired and distracted.

Publication: Newsweek

Publication Date: 31-OCT-05

Bookmark this article Print this article Link to this article Email this article Digg It! Add to del.icio.us RSS

COPYRIGHT 2005 Newsweek, Inc. All rights reserved. Any reuse, distribution or alteration without express written permission of Newsweek is prohibited. For permission: www.newsweek.com

Byline: Ron Moreau and Michael Hirsh (With Zahid Hussain in Islamabad)

As the giant chinook zoomed in low, U.S. Army pilot Derrick Tevebaugh watched a familiar scene unfold. Desperate Pakistani survivors began gathering in the center of Batir, a village reduced to rubble in the remote Karakoram Mountains. While Tevebaugh's chopper hovered, the crowds rushed closer, their shouts drowned out by the noise of twin rotors. A team of U.S. soldiers quickly tossed out tents, water bottles and food. Tevebaugh lifted off just as the last bundle was thrown. "We can't take any risk by staying longer on the ground," said the pilot, a Californian who had been involved in combat missions against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan a day before joining the relief operation. His main fear? That the mob could overwhelm his aircraft.

Everyone seems overwhelmed by the aftermath of an earthquake so...

Read the full article for free courtesy of your local library.