The Blog du Jour
Are you reading The Diplomad? If you want to know anything about how the tsunami relief effort is working out, and the relative heft of the U.S.-Australia-Singapore direct effort vs. the U.N.-E.U. bureaucratic response, this is the place to get the reports.
For instance, there's this Jan. 2 assessment from "local Dutch diplomats who traveled to Aceh:"
The Dutch, typically, are showing more common sense overall than the E.U. bureaucrats do.
At one point, very early in this tragedy, I looked at the broad swath of damaged nations on the map and thought the aiding countries ought to divide up the relief work by region: Australia and Asia tend to Indonesia, E.U. to Thailand, U.S. to Sri Lanka, something like that. It would have been a chance to test the relative merits of different approaches, avoid duplication of effort, and involve the human spirit of competition in doing good, which has so often benefitted the world.
After a closer look at the U.N. approach, I'm damned glad nobody close to power had the same stupid idea I did.
For instance, there's this Jan. 2 assessment from "local Dutch diplomats who traveled to Aceh:"
The US military has arrived and is clearly establishing its presence everywhere in Banda Aceh. They completely have taken over the military hospital, which was a mess until yesterday but is now completely up and running. They brought big stocks of medicines, materials for the operation room, teams of doctors, water and food. Most of the patients who were lying in the hospital untreated for a week have undergone medical treatment by the US teams by this afternoon. US military have unloaded lots of heavy vehicles and organize the logistics with Indonesian military near the airport. A big camp is being set up at a major square in the town. Huge generators are ready to provide electricity. US helicopters fly to places which haven't been reached for the whole week and drop food. The impression it makes on the people is also highly positive; finally something happens in the city of Banda Aceh and finally it seems some people are in control and are doing something. No talking but action. European countries are until now invisible on the ground. IOM staff (note: this is a USAID-funded organization) is very busy briefing the incoming Americans and Australians about the situation.
The US, Australia, Singapore and the Indonesian military have started a 'Coalition Co-ordination Centre' in Medan to organize all the incoming and outgoing military flights with aid. A sub-centre is established in Banda Aceh.
The Dutch, typically, are showing more common sense overall than the E.U. bureaucrats do.
At one point, very early in this tragedy, I looked at the broad swath of damaged nations on the map and thought the aiding countries ought to divide up the relief work by region: Australia and Asia tend to Indonesia, E.U. to Thailand, U.S. to Sri Lanka, something like that. It would have been a chance to test the relative merits of different approaches, avoid duplication of effort, and involve the human spirit of competition in doing good, which has so often benefitted the world.
After a closer look at the U.N. approach, I'm damned glad nobody close to power had the same stupid idea I did.
