Haiti: A Victim of Nature and the UN

By Alan Caruba

January 13th will mark the one year anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. What followed has become a classic example of everything that can go wrong when the “international community” steps in to run a sovereign nation.

For as long as I can remember, Haiti has been a political, economic, and social basket case among the Caribbean nations. It was ruled for decades by the Duvalier family. When Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier died in 1971, his son, dubbed “Baby Doc”, Jean-Claude, succeeded his father at the age of 19. He was eventually overthrown by a popular uprising in 1986.

Those that took over the reins of power were not much better and democracy has been marked by a series of disputed elections. The earthquake, for all intents and purposes, destroyed the government such as it was. The level of devastation, however, defies the imagination.

In 2004, after the forced departure of President Aristide, the United Nations imposed the Mission des Nations Unies pour la Stabilisation en Haiti, of whom the Brazilian contingent was the largest. The Mission has been a military occupying force since then, understandably alienating Haitians.

A longtime observer of Haiti, Ricardo Seitenfus, a Brazilian and a representative of the Organization of American States (OAS) for two years has been openly critical of the international community.

In a recent interview with Le Temps, a Swiss newspaper, Seitnefus said, “For two hundred years, the presence of foreign troops has alternated with that of dictators. It is force that defines international relations with Haiti—never dialogue.”

“Haiti’s original sin on the world scene was its liberation. Haitians committed the unacceptable in 1804” when they liberated themselves from being a French colony. Seitnefus noted that “The West was a colonialist world, slavist, and racist, that based its wealth on the exploitation of conquered territories. Consequently, the Haitian revolutionary model caused fear in the great powers.” The U.S. did not recognize Haiti’s independence until 1865, after the Civil War.

As is so commonly the case where it gets involved, the United Nations is the problem, not the solution.

After the earthquake, those on the scene generally agree that the initial response from the international community was good, rushing aid of all kind. In March there was a meeting of donor nations in New York in which $11 billion US dollars was pledged or collected.

Seitenfus says it never got to Haiti and, a year later, in a nation of ten million citizens, Haiti still has 1.5 million people on the streets and is suffering 80% unemployment, plus a cholera epidemic.

The UN mission cannot put Haiti back on its feet. What it has is soldiers, not those with the skills necessary to help rebuild the nation and, until the Haitians are given the opportunity to do the building instead of being charity recipients, not much will improve.

The presence, too, of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is not seen as all that useful either. What resources are transferred to Haiti go through the NGOs, leaving its government on the sidelines. The NGOs are not particularly accountable to anyone, least of all the Haitian government.

“No country would accept what the Haitians are forced to accept,” said Seitenfus.

A December 31, 2010 article in the Guardian, a UK newspaper, confirmed Seitenfus’ opinions, reporting that “Not withstanding efforts to signal political commitment to supporting Haiti’s transition—including UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon’s appointment of Bill Clinton as special envoy—few tangible outcomes have yet to be materialize. Haitians themselves are growing disillusioned and impatient…”

“Taken together, less than a tenth of the total amount promised has even arrived in Haiti, much less been spent.”

Little wonder that over the years between three and four million Haitians immigrated to the United States in search of a better life and now must worry about the fate of their families and their nation.

© Alan Caruba, 2011

Despite Aid, U.S. Flag Does Not Fly in Haiti

Hardly a day goes by when one does not read of the Obama administration's disrespect of the nation's flag and our actions throughout the world. A friend called this March 2010 USA Today article to my attention. Despite more than $179 million in humanitarian aid and a recent visit from Michelle Obama, apparently the U.S. flag does not fly there at our mission headquarters. It is totally inappropriate and a break with past efforts to be of assistance in foreign nations.

But what are we to expect of a man who found it difficult on several occasions to put his hand over his heart when the pledge of allegiance was spoken?

Haiti and other Hell-holes

By Alan Caruba

This is by way of just blowing off a bit of frustration in the wake of the non-stop news coverage of the latest disaster to hit Haiti.

To begin with, we are witnessing in this first day or so of news coverage that I call the "Five Known Facts" school of reporting; repeated endlessly!

That is to say, 98% of everything being "reported" is pure spectulation from the news room anchors and assorted experts, and the rest of the reporting is the most obvious stuff from the on-the-scene reporters. They are scrambling to say something more than just that hundreds, if not thousands, have died, buildings are destroyed, et cetera. We know that already!

It is the story of every major earthquake or comparable disaster anywhere.

For my part, however, it is a reminder that I have never heard anything about Haiti that was not a testament to the most vile aspects of despotism and corruption found in too many nations around the world.

How many millions have been poured into that chunk of Hispanola at this point? None of it ever reaches the people. None of it ever builds a road, a bridge, a school, or a hospital.

The minute Haitians can escape Haiti and come to America they become productive, wonderful citizens, but Haiti is a prison nation of no value to them or the rest of the world.

Haiti's current grief will be the focus of news organizations for perhaps two weeks at most. Forgotten or ignored is the way Haiti reflects comparable conditions in several African nations and elsewhere around the world where dictators continue to pillage whatever is of value and to oppress freedom.

Our attention span for such things is short and, if I dare to say so, America is in the early stages of becoming a failed nation, defaulting its debts, and rendering its dollar valueless.

The nation is being deliberately destroyed by Barack Hussein Obama and his cronies. That's why he doesn't care if he takes down the Democrat Party as well.

So, instead of really doing something about the rising unemployment occurring here, tending to the long-needed repair of our bridges and other infrastructure, cutting taxes so we can use our own money for our own needs, Americans blithly pass their time watching "American Idol" and discovering that yet another athlete is a failed human being.

Our Congress is no longer responsive to the millions of Americans, Democrats, Republicans and Independents, who hate the vile Obamacare program, something which the White House and Congress have wasted far too much time upon, given the fact that it is a hugely bad idea and occurring at the worst of times; wasteful and hurtful in more ways than one can count.

Is there death and destruction in Haiti? Yes. Will America do what it can to help? Yes. BUT! We have terribly serious problems here at home and, instead of solutions, we have been forced to deal with the failed ideology of socialism while abandoning the successful application of capitalist answers. The government will not let either Wall Street or Main Street function properly!

We need to stop beating up the bankers who were forced to make the bad loans and then to take TARP money. We need to stop kicking around the Wall Street crowd that risks billions to underwrite new technologies and help businesses and industries of every description grow and prosper.

The government must stop thwarting the building of more nuclear plants, more coal-fired plants, and the generation of the energy we will desperately need in the very near future. We need to Drill Here and Drill Now!

America is a treasure trove of coal, oil, and natural gas, but the government will not allow private industry to find it and extract it.

Do I feel bad about the Haitians? Sure, but five, ten, or twenty years from now they will still be wearing rags and living in shacks.

Right now, I want to avoid that future for more than 300 million Americans.

I want to stop the flow of illegal aliens draining our economy and using our services while contributing nothing in return. They have no right to be here. I want us to stop pretending that Islamists are not plotting to kill all of us and a nuclear Iran will give them the means to do it.

So, look at the television footage of the misery of the Haitians and think to yourself, unless we rid ourselves of those in power, fix our present economic problems without "bailing out" failed industries and financial institutions, and begin to prepare for the future, there but for the grace of God, go us.