[Update note, 2007-08-16: The idea of an International Rescue Command, or "Mercy Force", is ever more worth considering. This article appeared 15 years ago*; in recent times we've had the Asian Tsunami, Pakistan earthquake, Katrina, and currently Darfur, floods in North Korea, India, Bangladesh,--the list goes on--all of whose rescue actions have been likewise admirable, but ad hoc and insufficient.]
Why should international rescue action be merely a goodwill by-product of military capability?
We need a military alliance against mass disaster. It would field a world-scale Rescue Command, in constant readiness for world-class catastrophes: famines, floods, and earthquakes; artificial, natural, and nuclear calamities. Call it a Mercy Force.
Read More