Death and destruction have dominated recent news. Mass media deserted the tragedy of migrants fleeing conflicts in the Middle East and being smuggled to Europe in overladen boats. They had found a more powerful disaster, and rushed to earthquake-savaged Nepal.
Heart-wrenching scenes in Kathmandu of bewildered homeless people amidst the rubble of ancient temples were vividly beamed into comfortable living rooms thousands of miles away, showing how ruthless is the destructive power of nature. Three days after the quake, confusion still reigned: one man said sadly that he had received a single packet of noodles to eat but did not know whether it had been provided by the government or by some NGO.
The wretched lesson is that media and our politicians, from the United States to Asia and back again to Europe, do not understand the needs of a changing world: They respond to the dramatic moment, but fail to tackle deep underlying problems. The question of the day should be whether the tragedy of Nepal can be turned into an opportunity for that country and the world.