WASHINGTON, Feb 18: President George W. Bush has said that America cannot afford to be an isolationist in today’s world. He was explaining why he thought it was important to help Pakistan deal with the devastating Oct 8 earthquake.

“We cannot defend ourselves if we’re isolationist. … And, therefore, when we see suffering in places like Pakistan, or because of the tsunami, the United States of America is leading the way in,” Mr Bush told a gathering of his supporters in Florida on Friday.

Mr Bush, who on Friday sought $126 million from Congress to help the earthquake victims, said the US assistance had helped Pakistan cope with this problem.

“It helped a lot in Pakistan, for example, to see those choppers flying relief supplies up for poor folks whose lives had been just devastated,” said the US president while explaining how these humanitarian efforts helped improve America’s image abroad.

He said after the earthquake, President Pervez Musharraf told him that hundreds of thousands of people were either dead, injured or displaced, so he decided to respond immediately to Pakistan’s needs.

“And there was the US military flying in supplies,” he added.