Pakistan floods

On top of the cost of 1,600 lives two million people have been driven from their homes. Six million still need food, shelter and water.

Nature is humanity's best friend and worst enemy. Many natural disasters cannot be prevented in advance.The floods in Pakistan cannot be blamed on capitalism. Nature can sometimes do worse things than capitalism. Capitalism is no more to blame for the floods throughout Pakistan, however, it can be criticised for its way of dealing with the disaster and its consequent threats. In capitalism, whatever the urgency, nothing can happen until agreement has been reached over money.

Of course socialism will still see natural disasters, since it will not involve any kind of ‘mastery’ over nature. But their effect will be minimised by sensible precautions unencumbered by the profit motive. Action to relieve distress will be unhampered by nationalistic and military considerations, and will make use of well-established regional and global frameworks for cooperation and responding to emergencies. It is clear that such disasters call for working together rather than against each other and provision according to need rather than ability to pay. But how would socialism cope with such a sudden catastrophes as those floods.

Cholera and typhoid are big dangers in flood-affected areas. In socialism, medical science could be re-oriented almost overnight to solve these ongoing disasters. A food crisis is set to emerge as farming collapses from the consequences of the floods. However, in socialism the populations of Pakistan would not have to rely on their own agricultural production nor would they be forced to stay put. A massive mobilisation of people to other regions would be inconceivable today but not necessarily in socialism.

Nature can indeed sometimes do worse things than capitalism. But to protect ourselves, we need something better than capitalism.