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Still Hoping For Haiti
While the U.S. government has funneled roughly $4 billion into Haiti's economy to counter the country's "dismal economic trajectory" since 1990, Haiti still "continued to languish as the poorest in the Western Hemisphere," with the U.S. and neoliberal economic policies partially at fault.
On Jan. 12, 2010, an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 on the Richter scale shook Haiti for 35 seconds. The most powerful to strike the country in 200 years, the earthquake devastated the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, killing over 200,000 people and leaving nearly 300,000 injured. Despite the outpouring of international assistance, six months later, the impoverished country is still struggling to get back on its feet. Basic living conditions -- including access to shelter, water, sanitation, and health care -- have yet to be restored to a majority of Haitians.
Rebuilding Haiti successfully requires re-evaluating the flow of aid and bolstering a shattered public sector. More than anything, however, rebuilding Haiti requires an enduring commitment from the United States. As USAID Haiti Task Team coordinator Paul Weisenfeld told NPR earlier this month, "U.S. military provided invaluable support -- under the leadership of USAID," but nonetheless, Haiti will need "sustained attention because the rebuilding effort is going to be an effort that will take many years to come."
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