Topic: Pakistan floods - "winning hearts and minds"
I was watching the news recently and it was claimed that the Pakistan flooding disaster could be seized upon by extremists to recruit more to the cause, pointing out government inaction and making charitable offerings as part of a PR exercise.
THere has also been a consistent theme of the news saying that international donations to Pakistan have been sluggish (including from other parts of the Islamic world).
Obviously people have concerns about corruption, wastage and money falling into "enemy" hands but quite apart from the humanitarian disaster is this not a great opportunity for the west world to pull off a PR coup both in Pakistan and throughout the Islamic world as a whole? Large charitable donations both from governments and from private donations could show the Pakistani people (and people through the rest of the Islamic world) that the West is a friend in need and can offer more help than the militants and extremists.
I am mainly thinking about private donations here, and I tihnk this could be a golden opportunity to soften the opinions of people in certain islamic nations (such as Pakistan and Afghanistan) who might otherwise be at risk of recruitment to miltant activities.