American Morning
Pakistani Hearts and Minds
By Kaj Larsen, Correspondent
Editor's note: Kaj is covering the aftermath of the flooding in Pakistan for American Morning. Watch his reports on AMERICAN MORNING at 6:00AM Eastern.
One way of describing the flood crisis in Pakistan is as two separate catastrophes: one in the north and one in the south.
The north's crisis can be described as destruction of infrastructure, including roads, bridges and homes. The crisis in the south can be described as desperation as a large portion of the country remains under water without access to food, shelter, clean water or the agriculture that provides daily sustenance for much of the population.
The water destruction is not the only thing that differentiates the northern and southern half of Pakistan. Complicated tribal, cultural, ethnic, religious and even geographical differences also separate the country.
Though neither region can be described as homogenous, many scholars and national security experts feel that the U.S. faces an uphill battle in winning support in the northern and tribal parts of Pakistan, while the more moderate middle and southern parts of the country could be fertile ground for finding Pakistanis who are friendly towards U.S. policy. Some have gone as far as to argue that we should target the flood aid towards the moderate middle and southern parts of the country, like the Sindh province and the Punjab region where the U.S. has the greatest chance of influencing people.
As I drove around the country covering the aftermath of the floods, I spoke to Pakistanis about their feelings on Americans and U.S. policy. Here is what they had to say.
Watch the rest of Kaj Larsen's reporting on the aftermath of the flooding in Pakistan on American Morning tomorrow at 6:00AM Eastern.
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