It's the "New Haiti"
Bill Clinton stood breathless on the tarmac of the crowded Port-au-Prince airport extolling the cooperation of all the Latin American nations. He said something like, they all want to be part of the new Haiti. That's probably the best storm warning that Haitians will get regarding their fate. Their nation and culture are in the cross hairs of the theme park entrepreneurs always seeking another real estate fiasco to perpetrate. Dubai World is dead. It's on to Haiti!
One wonders if the forces of repression have waited all these years to finally get even for losing and entire nation in "the only successful slave revolt in history," an inspiration to people everywhere.
But isn't this is a bleak vision given the outpouring of offers from all over the world? Individuals have contributed generously to Haitian relief. They are to be commended for their efforts, which are considerable. But individual contributions of several million can't match the hundreds of millions in commitments (not deliverables) of aid through national and multinational entities. These are the people calling the shots.
What can Haitians anticipate from the first world geniuses? Military occupation is first up. The security forces were first in because they were the force selected to run the show. The absence of a Haitian government is the problem, we're told. But that absence originated when the United States kidnapped the elected president of Haiti and spirited him off to Africa, for "his safety." The current government is virtually non existent, other than the U.S. favored president who officially welcomed foreign assistance.
The military emphasis will give way to food and water plus medical care. But will this relief be supplied in time to help the people? After days of dehydration and starvation, is the population ripe for disease? Will there be sufficient resources to deal with this? Are we going to hear about the need for temporary relocation as we did in New Orleans?
Will the current US model of funding banks and forgetting the people be employed, a variation of the trickle down approach?
What will the nation building look like? Iraq? Afghanistan?
Will the people of Haiti ever get a chance to rule their own nation?
END
Special thanks to K. Stone for her helpful comments.
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