In this case, I’m referring to the earthquake last week. A country that had almost nothing now has nothing. One can’t help but feel pity for the victims of the disaster. The US, France, Britain, Canada, and other countries are sending direct aid, such as search and rescue and medical teams or and/or money. All of this is for immediate relief for the victims. That’s good because each day more and more people are going to die. If not from the immediate effects of the earthquake, then from thirst, starvation, and opportunistic diseases. As I’ve said before, Mother Nature hates you and wants to kill you. That cold hearted bitch is having a field day in the Caribbean right now.

That’s fine for the short term, although there will be the inevitable criticism that the US didn’t do enough. It’s just the volume that will be muted this time, the criticism will remain. Still, when all is said and done, it will be the United States, both governmental and private organizations, that will have done the most to help.

The long term outlook for Haiti is the bigger problem. Haiti has been independent since the early 19th century, not many years after the United States became independent. It appears not to have had a stable government in all that time. Several times during the 20th century and even in this century, the United State has stepped in militarily.

I have to ask how much responsibility the US has to stabilize Haiti. A short article in Sunday’s Boston Herald titled Hope remains for a better country sums up the problems.

It could cost as much as $5 billion over five years to rebuild earthquake-ravaged Haiti, a daunting reconstruction that would be paid for by the rest of the world, and that some hope might bring about a better nation, experts said.

$5 Billion a year. From the rest of the world, which primarily means from the western world because somehow I don’t see the Chinese government coming up with a lot of that money. Unless of course they get something in return and as we’ve noted Haiti has nothing.

One has to wonder what’s happened to the previous foreign aid that’s been sent to Haiti. Well, not really wonder as it appears that a succession of corrupt regimes has siphoned most of the money off. In fact, from 1999 to 2005 there was no US aid to Haiti for just those reasons. Since 2004 civil order has been maintained by a United Nations lead peacekeeping force. Which might have kept the current government in power, but hasn’t encouraged foreign aid and investment.

All of which is to say that the long term outlook for Haiti is pretty bleak. From the Herald article, this quote.

“Building a better Haiti means building a strong government and strong civilian sector,” said Michael VanRooyen, a Brigham and Women’s Hospital doctor and director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. “All these things have eluded us with Haiti. That’s not going to go away. There’s not any quick recovery from this.”

Bleak indeed. Without a stable government there is no possibility of rebuilding the country and the unfortunate people of Haiti will continue to be poor.

The question is who is responsible for rebuilding this country and who will fund it?