|
Press dismay at Katrina chaos
Story from BBC NEWS Newspapers
around the world see Hurricane Katrina's chaotic aftermath as a
defining moment for the presidency of George W Bush.
While there is clear
sympathy for the disaster's victims, many commentators place the
blame for the delayed rescue effort squarely on Mr Bush's
administration.
Mexico's El
Universal
The
slowness with which the USA's federal emergency services have
joined the rescue operation has already generated great
political tension. . . . There is no doubt that the lack of
well-timed responses to assist the population will have
political costs for President Bush's Republican Party in the
next federal elections.
Colombia's El
Colombiano
It is
now urgent that the world's leaders take heed of nature's
warning, look at the evidence and realise that the climate, on a
global scale, is changing. This is already known from scientific
reports, but they continue to ignore it, to play it down, or not
to care about it.
Argentina's Clarin
Katrina
had more than the power of the wind and water, because, now,
when they have subsided, it can still reveal the emptiness of an
era, one that is represented by President George W Bush more
than anyone.
Spain's El Pais
Up
until Monday, Bush was the president of the war in Iraq and
9/11. Today there are few doubts that he will also pass into
history as the president who didn't know how to prevent the
destruction of New Orleans and who abandoned its inhabitants to
their fate for days. And the worst is yet to come.
Spain's La Razon
Proving
that even the gods are mortal, it is clear that the USA's
international image is being damaged in a way that it has never
known before. The country will probably be able to recuperate
from the destruction, but its pride has already been profoundly
wounded.
France's Liberation
Bush
had already been slow to react when the World Trade Center
collapsed. Four years later, he was no quicker to get the
measure of Katrina - a cruel lack of leadership at a time when
this second major shock for 21st century America is adding to
the crisis of confidence for the world's leading power and to
international disorder. As happened with 9/11, the country is
displaying its vulnerability to the eyes of the world.
France's Le
Progres
Katrina
has shown that the emperor has no clothes. The world's
superpower is powerless when confronted with nature's fury.
Switzerland's Le
Temps
The
sea walls would not have burst in New Orleans if the funds meant
for strengthening them had not been cut to help the war effort
in Iraq and the war on terror. . . . And rescue work would have
been more effective if a section of National Guard from the
areas affected had not been sent to Baghdad and Kabul. . . .
And would George Bush have left his holiday ranch more quickly
if the disaster had not first struck the most disadvantaged
populations of the Black South?
Ireland's The
Irish Times
This
is a defining moment for Mr Bush, just as much as 9/11 was. So
far his reputation for prompt and firm crisis management has
fallen far short of what is required.
Saudi Arabia's Saudi
Gazette
The
episode illustrates that when the normal day-to-day activity of
society disintegrates, the collapse of civilisation is only a
few paces behind. We all walk on the edge of the abyss.
Musib Na'imi in
Iran's Al-Vefagh
About
10,000 US National Guard troops were deployed [in New Orleans]
and were granted the authority to fire at and kill whom they
wanted, upon the pretext of restoring order. This decision is an
indication of the US administration's militarist mentality,
which regards killing as the only way to control even its own
citizens.
Samih Sa'ab in
Lebanon's Al-Nahar
The
destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina... has proved that even
the No 1 superpower in the world is helpless in facing nature's
'terrorism'.
Pakistan's The
Nation
To
augment the tragedy, the government of the world's richest
nation defied the general expectation that at the first sign of
the storm it would muster an armada of ships, boats and
helicopters for the rescue operation. For nearly three days it
sat smugly apathetic to the people's plight, their need for
food, medicine and other basic necessities.
Hong Kong's Wen
Wei Po
This
disaster is a heavy blow to the United States, and a lesson
which deserves deep thought... [It] is a warning to the Bush
administration that the United States must clear its head and
truly assume its responsibility to protect nature and the
environment in which humankind lives.
Hong Kong's South
China Morning Post
Even
if our money may not be needed, at the least we should be
offering moral support. Our skills in dealing with storms may be
useful to help Americans prevent other such tragedies. We should
be offering this help rather than shrugging off what should be
our humanitarian duty.
Ambrose Murunga in
Kenya's Daily Nation
My
first reaction when television images of the survivors of
Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans came through the channels was
that the producers must be showing the wrong clip. The images,
and even the disproportionately high number of visibly
impoverished blacks among the refugees, could easily have been a
re-enactment of a scene from the pigeonholed African continent.
*
* * * *
BBC
Monitoring selects and translates news from radio,
television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150
countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham,
UK, and has several bureaus abroad. Story
from BBC NEWS
posted 4 September 2005 |
