Aid For Cyclone Victims Hits A Wall In Myanmar

Myanmar's isolationist regime, which originally called for help after Cyclone Nargis struck on Saturday, has denied landing permission to U.S. planes loaded with aid for storm victims and is stalling on visas for U.N. relief teams. The Associated Press reports two U.N. planes landed in Yangon as the U.S. flew supplies to a staging area in Thailand, whose prime minister is offering to negotiate with the Myanmar junta to allow U.S. aid. Myanmar says the death toll is at least 22,980, with another 42,119 missing; the U.N. estimates as many as a million are homeless. The U.S. Embassy says the death toll could top 100,000 because safe water and food are scarce.

While it doesn't get as much discussion in foreign policy circles, disaster relief is actually one of the American public's top foreign policy priorities, according to our Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) say helping out in natural disasters should be a "very important" priority, on a par with preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. And the public views international relief as one of the nation's strong suits, with 76 percent giving the U.S. an A or B grade.