A month on from the Haitian earthquake and the images of mothers and young children trying to rebuild their lives after the devastation is upsetting for all. Although such disasters cannot be prevented, the post earthquake events in the country reveal some startling facts about Haiti. Firstly, the tiny state is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere and has development indicators comparable to some of the poorest African states. In terms of illiteracy and mortality, it is on par with countries such as Bangladesh, Chad and Sierra Leone. Such characteristics are quite unsettling, especially as it is only 600 miles from the United States.
The reasons for Haiti's poor development record are still being debated by historians and political scientists but a brief glance into her history offers some insights. When Christopher Columbus arrived in Haiti on 5th December, 1492, he claimed the island for Spain -subsequently, the Spaniards mined the island for gold and exploitation of the land. At a later stage, the French settled on the land which gave rise to hostilities and tension with the Spaniards because both countries wanted to colonize the island.
When Haitians won their independence from France in 1804, they attempted to claim reparations from the powers that had profited from three centuries of colonisation. France, however, was convinced that it was Haitians who had stolen the property of slave owners, by refusing to work for free. So in 1825, French warships threatened to re-enslave the former colony, King Charles X came to collect 90 million gold francs - 10 times Haiti's annual revenue at the time. With no way to refuse, and no way to pay, the young nation was shackled to a debt that would take 122 years to pay off.
The ill-treatment suffered by the host population included malnutrition, forced labour and slavery - such enormous societal disruptions led to a sharp decline in population and this was further exacerbated by infectious diseases bought by the Europeans that were new to the people of the Caribbean, therefore lacked immunity to. The newly formed colonized lands quickly became very profitable, especially for the French as they gained immense profits from sugar and coffee. This was made possible by the thousands of slaves that were shipped from Africa to work on the land - it is said that they were part of the ‘most brutally efficient slave colonies' as one third died within a few years.
It is clear from this brief account that international powers have always vied with each other in competition to secure resources and strategic interests. The only difference now is the style employed to achieve the same objective. Unfortunately, for the people of Haiti, the earthquake was the perfect pretext for the Capitalists to set foot in the impoverished nation once again. Of particular interest is the fact that Haiti has the highest number of NGOs per capita in the world. On the surface, such a realisation may not seem to be vested in exploitation or self-interest and although, it is not necessarily a bad thing that a state has so many NGOs but the ramifications of such a reality can be disconcerting. As a general rule of thumb, the more NGOs there are in a country, the less developed it is. This can suggest one of two factors. A heavy NGO presence in a country may indicate that the state has abdicated its responsibility to its citizens or that it doesn't have the infrastructure to adequately respond to the people's needs.
One would then beg the question: if there are so many NGOs in Haiti than anywhere else, why has the country not been able to pull itself out of the quagmire of underdevelopment and poverty? Could it be related to the fact that such a large presence of NGOs has the effect of downplaying the duties of government by not advocating the need for development? Essentially, such a situation means that the country will always rely on foreign hand-outs and will never be self-sufficient.
It is a historical fact that any country that opens its doors to foreign donors and humanitarian agencies eventually loses sovereignty over its own people. Similar scenarios can be seen in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. Unfortunately, much of the money raised will end up in the pockets of highly-paid consultants, corrupt government officials and UN bureaucrats; very little of it will go to the people who need it most.
It may appear that the premise of this discussion is questioning the morality of NGOs and it may seem cruel to suggest that donors and NGOs should not help countries like Haiti at the time of need but the history of humanitarian aid and assistance to poor countries has shown that a crisis is used as a convenient entry point by foreign players to impose a particular system or vision for the people. On the other hand, it is true to state that a blanket rejection of NGOs is rather unfair but a healthy critique of such practices would warrant suspicion, especially as their operations are conducted within the framework of capitalist thought, an ideology that is marching forth towards global domination. As for the Haitian government, they will be pushed further to the periphery and most decisions about the state will be made in Washington, Paris or London - a type of proxy colonialism as it were.
Ultimately, giving charity and assistance to the poor and grief stricken is a commendable act and should be encouraged, however, they should be viewed as pseudo-solutions. More often than not, the underlying fundamental problem is overlooked and with the case of Haiti, it is an example of centuries of subjugation and interference by outside powerful forces. Very little attention is given to how Haiti can develop its infrastructure and mode of government or how IMF loans are becoming increasingly oppressive.
Although, we do not see the barbaric slavery of the French anymore, the essence of Colonialist politics has not shifted. It is no longer a case of brute force neo-colonialism but we now live in the times of subtle NGO colonialism - an idea that hinders self development and increases reliance on others.
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Zeital
said:
 |
There have been tsunamis and civil war in Sri Lanka and recently this massive earthquake in Haiti. Disaster Capitalism is a very adaptable ideology that can thrive from opportunities offered from natural catastrophes and manmade misery, such as civil strife and economic problems. This state which eventually became Haiti was exposed to Capitalism and globalisation into an international trading system very early during the Age of Sail. Spain had established ports on the Caribbean Islands, which became a stop over to the main Spanish colonies in the New World. Plantation capitalism became a great source of income for Spain, alongside the lucrative spice trade routes in the Indian Ocean. Labour was procured by brutal means and Western Africa became a ready source of slaves. To this day this bitter legacy of ‘race’ and economic disparity remains. France, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Scotland, and England were drawn to the Caribbean Islands, and preyed upon the Spanish Galleons. France, Netherlands, England (following union with Scotland), were best placed for taking advantage for this nascent Atlantic Economy. Spain and Portugal had developed a triangular trade system connecting South West Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean, and Europe. The trade networks allowed Spain and Portugal to trade with India, China, Japan, and South East Asia. Spanish/Portuguese could bypass the Ottoman and Persian empires which held a monopoly over land routes. SPAIN – BRITAIN – FRANCE Britain targeting Spain during a series of European wars, and would work at first undermining the Dutch Maritime Empire dependent upon extensive international commerce, with French support. Britain became increasingly active in the Caribbean after the 1700’s and even seized Jamaica from Spain. Spain began to find Britain’s emerging navy a threat to its colonies from the Philippines to its colonies in Latin America. Unlike Spain, Britain managed to turn Jamaica into a profitable colony. Being ‘business minded’ both Britain and France developed plantations and developed their respective nation’s infrastructure for naval development/exploration, and even empire building. Britain was opportunistic in joining Spain (usually a French ally in Europe), in carving the French North American Empire. France gradually lost massive tracts of Canada and also Louisiana (French America) to Britain’s Thirteen Colonies. The triangular trade moved under more direct British influence, connected West Africa, North America/Jamaica, and North West Europe. Alongside new sources of revenue from Bengal (which was annexed by the East India Company in 1757), and newly discovered massive deposits of readily available coal, British industrialising and manufacturing got underway in earnest. British policy makers or accountant responsible for state expenditure made vey effort to ensure that the British Navy received the funds for optimal capacity and readiness without bankrupting the British state. This Navy had the ultimate goal of becoming unchallenged globally, and France was the only main obstacle to this hegemony over the seas. France, depended on Haiti for generating immense wealth, whilst the British East India Company (with its small but efficient private army) alongside the British Navy would wrest global trade from all continental European states and became a leading force in enforcing global monopoly of international trade. This caused great concern within Europe and indeed to persons such as Tipu Sultan who understood the consequence of such unbridled ambitions of the East India Company. France, the Netherlands, and some Indian states kept British ambitions in check, but after 1799; Britain rapidly expanded its influence throughout India, at the expense of the Marathas. |
|
report abuse
vote down
vote up
|
Zeital
said:
|
NAPOLEONIC WARS Great Britain had suffered a loss of prestige when the Thirteen Colonies successfully broke from The Crown. France provided support in the American War of Independence. France has long term ambitions to dominate the European continent, whereas British motives always tried to balance French power against other great powers. Furthermore, France was the only obstacle to undisputed British maritime hegemony across the globe. As France sought to trade and develop, Britain had long standing ambitions to destroy French power, or at least render France as an impotent second tier power as Spain and the Netherlands (which declined towards the end of the 1700’s). The military ambitions of Napoleon Bonaparte, and the fear of his absolute despotism within all of Europe and Russia; provided Great Britain with the opportunity to render France incapable. This rivalry dates back to the 1500’s when both nations were relatively obscure. Napoleon Bonaparte’s armies (including soldiers from Poland; trying to win French favour after Polish partition); were first defeated in Haiti. This sent shock waves in North America, Europe, and within the British establishment. Europeans and European settlers certainly feared such events. Haiti became the Western Hemisphere’s first independent Black nation, but faced being ostracised from North America and Europe. Britain, Spain, and France failed in their attempts to reoccupy Haiti. Napoleon Bonaparte treacherously had Toussaint Louverture imprisoned (a leader of the Haitian Revolution) when General Charles Leclerc seized him. Toussaint Louveture was taken to France as a captive where he died. HAITI SINCE INDEPENDENCE Apart from being isolated and barred from access to trade, Haiti was forced to pay a massive indemnity towards France. This unfair clause parallels South Africa having to pay for debts incurred during apartheid and the compensations of former slave owners by the British government in Jamaica, or American government in Southern cotton growing states. Former slaves received nothing, but a forced life of indentured labour due to poverty and racial discrimination. Haiti faced invasions from America which sought to re-enforce business interest in that hapless country. A tragic local case study in Capitalism’s 300 year sojourn since the rise of the modern integrated economy and rise and fall of European nation states. ARTICLE: The Fateful Geological Prize Called Haiti by F. William Engdahl http://www.engdahl.oilgeopolitics.net/Geopolitics___Eurasia/Prize_Haiti/prize_haiti.html ARTICLE: Can Capitalism Save Haiti? by Shamus Cooke http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=17542 |
|
report abuse
vote down
vote up
|
Hina
said:
 |
This incident proves a long recognised trait of the "Developed West". Although West developed by dedication to gain knowledge, but in doing so, it pushed more than half of the World Population to the status of insects. Slavery is rampant among western world. There is no treatment of respect by West for the World Population. Observe any part of the world. The western people first looted those areas, took the treasures to their own countries to build heir own countries and then again when the areas subjagated to looting become deficient in terms of resources and opportunities to offer to Labour, another kind of mastery took place that of "export of human resources" from developing and underdeveloping countries to Developed countries. So this is a tradition and planning of "Slavery" on a long term basis. But I would like to say that, being a muslim, I believe everything in this world belongs to Allah Subhanu Tala. Be it human beings or other natural resources. Not just this world, all the other boundaries which humans haven't been able reach. Earthquakes as described in Holy Quran came when a certain nations' sins exceeded a certain level. Earthquakes and all natural catastrophies come from Allah and should serve as a warning to remember Allah the Creator of everything. But I think world resorts to different theories as the peoples' beliefs are based on the concept of "Non-existence of Allah". This can be shown by the alarmingly rabid crimes and sins taking place all over the world. I think, being muslims, it is our duty to let the world know by our actions that we are different in the criteria of "Disbelief in the existence of Allah". Although this nation is not an islamic one but it is still in the dominion of Allah the almighy. Perhaps, earthquake came as a warning. But it also shows the selfishness of western powers as they would seize this opportunity to set their feet in again for their own investments. So, this world goes on with corruption of people at every level; be it moral or financial, which the other kafir nations never hesitate to exploit and thus this corruption goes on. |
|
report abuse
vote down
vote up
|
Ali
said:
 |
Haiti was heavily conlonised before the earthqueke occured, with foreign forces and UN workers, however this presence could not protect Haiti from the effects of the earthquake. It is telling that whilst the parliament was destroyed the American Embassy stood untouched. |
|
report abuse
vote down
vote up
|
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|