79.9

Haiti doesn’t exist anymore, as we know it. The major ports are unusable, the airport is down, most of the capitol is destroyed, the government is not in charge, hospitals and schools have collapsed, the penitentiary has broken down and most of the prisoners have escaped, and as many as 2% of the population have died, with a total of 3million (out of the population of 9 million) having been affected. This is a reconstruction effort that is going to be led by foreign powers, and will take years and years to complete. As Tyler Cowen says, it’ll be an effort far more demanding than providing food and water for a couple of years.
The current effort to get going has been extremely slow, and thousands of Haitians have died because no real medical help is available. The country, already one of the poorest in the world, and the poorest in the Western hemisphere, faces a disaster that may become far too familiar in the future. It is likely that in the decades to come, many island nations will be forced to evacuate, and countries from around the world will have to develop the policies and infrastructure to accept climate refugees.
The infrastructure is vital, given that the current problem has been aggravated by the lack of usable roads and transport, and the utter confusion and disorganization into which international aid groups are arriving. Local powers have also taken heavy losses, with the UN missing 300 workers, peacekeepers, and staff after its headquarters, a hotel in Port-au-Prince, caved in, killing the mission chief, his Brazilian deputy, and a Canadian police chief. The UN has called for 2000 peacekeepers and 1500 police officers from neighboring regions.
The government is essentially powerless, with the cabinet meeting in a police station by the airport. While international powers (including Canada, who sent 2000 troops) are slowly stepping up, they also have taken heavy losses. Oxfam, a British group, has lost much of its supplies and equipment, and two employees.
Relief has been slowly trickling into the nation, with groups such as Médecins Sans Frontières bringing in a reported 85 tonnes of medical supplies. 15000 American troops are currently working in the country, as Obama has slowly increased American efforts in the country.
There is growing tension in the region over American involvement, as Brazilian authorities, who normally control forces in Haiti, resent the American help, saying that their own troops and UN peacekeepers are quite sufficient. The US, according to the Inter-American Dialogue, a think tank, is trying to provide logistics help while avoiding the impression that they are taking over the country.
In all, it is hoped that the tensions and squabbles don’t aggravate the aid mission any further, as the potential for violent looting and riots will slowly become more prevalent as the shock wears off in Haiti’s main cities. For now, all Haitians can do is wait, as what used to be an independent country now essentially lies in a pile of dust, watched over and tended to by foreign powers.
1. http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2010/01/end_haiti_0?source=most_recommended

- Amir Eftekharpour