Responding to the Historic Floods in Pakistan: Political and Security Considerations

Monsoon rains have helped create the worst humanitarian crisis in Pakistan’s modern history. Massive flooding throughout the Khyber-Paktunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh provinces have killed nearly 2,000 people and harmed some 20 million. The disaster has also created security concerns in what is already an unstable political climate. How the Pakistani government and the international community respond to this emergency will have far-reaching political consequences for the country and the region.

On September 1, the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement hosted a discussion on the challenges the Pakistani government and the international community face in responding to the flooding. Panelists included Mark Ward of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); the International Rescue Committee’s Michael Young; Tim Lenderking of the U.S. Department of State; and Brookings experts Stephen P. Cohen and Gen. Jehangir Karamat (Ret.).

Senior Fellow Elizabeth Ferris, director of the Brookings-Bern Project, provided introductory remarks and moderated the discussion. After the program, panelists took audience questions.