The World on New Orleans

Over the devastation, hunger and death, Public Diplomacy czar Karen Hughes singled out the looting as the particular public relations blemish on America.

...Hughes singled out reports of looting in New Orleans as a particular public relations blemish for America: "The images of crime being committed in the face of an awful natural disaster is hard for anyone to understand, people around the world and Americans," she said at a press conference. "It sickens me as an American."

From L.A. Weekly, here's a sampling of what the rest of the world is actually saying:

The Racial Levee

"And, as often, when misfortune strikes the U.S., the social inequalities within it are starkly exposed. Most of the 80 per cent of New Orleans residents who managed to evacuate before the hurricane were white and well off. Most of those who stayed and lost loved ones are predominantly black or Hispanic." —The New Zealand Herald

Our Government's Response

"Dudya: No Cash, No Aid, And No Sign of Bush for Five Days" —headline in The Daily Mirror, London

Whitey Loots, Too

"In one report, New Orleans radio station WWL claimed that looters were helping feed those huddled inside the Superdome. Earlier that same day, FEMA and the U.S. military suspended relief supplies to the giant concrete refugee camp when it was reported that a single shot was fired at one military helicopter. How is it that street gangs can achieve what trained emergency professionals and soldiers could not?" —The National Post, Canada

Kindler and Gentler Coverage

"The rest of the world that has benefited from American generosity should show solidarity with Americans who are now picking up the pieces. Regardless of what other peoples think of the U.S. government and its foreign policies, most of the world owes it to themselves to reciprocate goodwill to the American people." —The Nation, Thailand

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