What the hell happened in Haiti; and more importantly, why? The answer is simply a major earthquake struck quite near the Haitian capital, killing tens, if not hundreds of thousands of Haitian citizens. But the International Monetary Fund and World Bank’s loans are the reasons that Haiti is so ill-equipped to deal with the aftermath. Immediate aid is of course necessary; however, the root of the tragedy lies in the why question.
The best way to help Haiti now is through working with local relief efforts and donating money to organizations such as Partners in Health. It’s an organization with true Haitian causes at heart. They have been dedicated to bringing healthcare, education and the eradication of poverty to Haiti. Medecins San Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders, is another group that has had great history in helping Haiti and is doing an effective job of providing immediate relief.
Haiti is no anomaly. What happened to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and why? What happened in central China during the spring of 2008, and why were so many parents of the schoolchildren incredibly outraged? Systematic failures and inequalities within each of these nations have allowed such natural disasters to become devastation. The levees in New Orleans failed because they were designed incorrectly. The schools collapsed in China because contractors cut corners when building to pad their pockets.
Haiti is, by most standards, the poorest nation in both North and South America. eighty percent of its population lives in poverty. Haiti’s debt to the United States is about a fifth of its GDP. A country with such a high level of financial debt does not have the funds to construct buildings or build an infrastructure that would be prepared for such a disaster as last Tuesday’s earthquake. Also, any money Haiti does have for disaster relief and prevention will go to preparing for hurricanes. With a vast majority of its citizens living on only $2 a day, Haiti is in dire need of aid to keep the country and its citizens alive.
This is an ever-present necessity. The largest donor of foreign aid to Haiti is the United States. But it should be noted the U.S. cut off all aid to Haiti from 2001 until 2004 for political reasons. We abandoned the Haitian poor to punish the leaders of Haiti. These policies help create conditions that turn disaster into a catastrophe. Venezuela and Cuba are two nations who have given massive amounts of support to Haiti — without using aid as a political muscle to be flexed against Haiti as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank have done.
Asking why allows us to discern patterns from the chaos of disaster. They give us the ability to predict, adapt and prepare.
Why is Haiti, Latin America’s first independent nation, in poverty unjustifiably worse than its neighbors? Loans have crippled the nation since its independence. First, the French made Haiti pay for the freedom of former slaves, a debt which was not fully paid until after World War II. Haiti was forced by other western powers to take more loans to pay off past debts.
And now the great and powerful World Bank and the fund have entered the picture. Their one-sided policies grow GDP, but prevent infrastructural development, adequate health care and make unionization near impossible.
Haitian citizens whose lives were thrown into turmoil by the earthquake are the same people whose lives have been ruined by World Bank and International Monetary Fund policies. Just a few days ago, the fund offered to loan Haiti $100 million for disaster relief. A nice gesture? Not when one realizes impoverished Haiti is still indebted to the fund for $125 million. The money is given on the fund’s goals, not Haitian realities. Nothing new.
A long-term solution — the solution to the why question — includes such efforts as a cancellation of Haiti’s crippling debt and intentional moves away from the fund and World Bank style loans. These loans demand that nations develop on the organizations’ terms. They do little good, but much harm. As Haiti’s neighbors have shown, Latin American countries can stand on their own two feet when the crushing weight is lifted from their shoulders.
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Cambrian 2 years, 3 months ago
The good news is that there is talk of forgiving Haiti's national debt. The U.S., France, and others are discussing this option currently. Let's hope they agree to do so.
Pierre_F_Lherisson 2 years, 3 months ago
For more than three decades, some of the most brilliant head of states have been talking about the cancellation of debt for the Third World countries but the developed nations have no intentions to do so. The developed nations’ opulence and the extravaganza life style of their citizen rest on the ruthless exploitation of the Third World countries. The current catastrophe in Haiti and its potential whiplashes might be a wake up call against blatant inequalities on this planet.