Cyclone Nargis vs. the Junta

We've been watching Cyclone Nargis for a week here at the Intersection, but I've finally done my first lengthy piece about the disaster over at Science Progress. Over there, I make the following points, most of which I don't think you're seeing elsewhere:

1. It's Not About Global Warming, But Poverty and Infrastructure.

2. The American Media Present a Very Selective Picture of Cyclone Disasters in the Developing World.

3. Hurricane/Cyclone Forecasting in the North Indian Region is Lackluster at Best.

4. Hurricanes Can Bring Down Governments.

I want to expand upon the last point, which is increasingly on my mind. So let me quote from the column:

In his book Divine Wind, MIT's Kerry Emanuel emphasizes how at key moments, tropical cyclones have actually changed world history. That's precisely what happened with the 1970 Bhola Cyclone: It was the deadliest storm known to us, with some 300,000 to 500,000 dead in what was then East Pakistan. At the time Pakistan was one nation; but a strong separatist movement existed in the east. Enter the cyclone, and in the ensuing tragedy, even as the international community mobilized and the news media swept in, the central government in West Pakistan was widely perceived as inept, uncaring, uninvolved. Anger rose, and before long the nation we now call Bangladesh declared its independence--although it took a civil war to ensure it.

Even without a sophisticated analysis of the political situation in Myanmar, one can see many parallels in the Nargis catastrophe. We clearly have another regime that was out of touch, that did little or nothing to protect its people--the worst kind of despotism and irresponsibility. And now, in the glare of international scrutiny, there will be mounting outrage, and rightly so. If Cyclone Nargis can help strengthen the movement for Burmese democracy, at least there will be some silver lining in this tragedy.

You can read the entire column here.