But murmurs have already begun about how Haiti could be re-built, and if a workable future can be created for a people who have lived in absolute misery (excepting the wealthy in Petionville). Make no mistake; Haiti must be re-built from the ground up not through private organizations and humanitarian aid, but through concerted intervention by foreign powers and international agencies to re-build a functional state. Nothing else will do, and NGOs do not have the capacity to create meaningful political structures that can begin to lift Haiti out of its wretchedness. We know this is the case through the absolute failure of hundreds of millions of aid dollars in making a serious difference with Haiti's wretched poverty. The solution, much easier said than done, is that an effective political structure must be built through which economic and social reforms can take place.
David Brooks at the NY Times claims that inherent cultural issues have completely dragged the effectiveness of aid, but there have been some bright spots that could perhaps serve as models for creating more efficient state services. Perhaps with the flood of aid and money a more comprehensive rural health care system modelled on the successes of Paul Farmer's organization Partners In Health could be applied.
Economic recovery must also be based on business and services, perhaps with a focus on manufacturing, because Haiti has stripped itself of any potential natural resources that could have been of use economically. In its turbulent relationship with the U.S, Haiti did have factories producing goods for the U.S (albeit under sub-par conditions) in the past, and perhaps this could provide a start for an almost non-existent economy.
These are just inexperienced musings. But the medium-to-long term future must be planned for Haiti, and it must involve a commitment to completely turning around the previous state of affairs, politically and economically. It must go beyond concerted humanitarian aid. Only then can the global conscience be clear.
Posted on January 16, 2010
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