Haitian Hellhole

     Today marks the first anniversary of the Haitian earthquake. The quake, which hit the poorest country in the western hemisphere, killed 316,00 people, and the situation has not improved in the year that has passed.
     Haiti was not a first world nation before the earthquake, and that has only made its impact all the more severe. The quake destroyed thousands of homes, and clearing that rubble has barely begun. Land ownership records are rare in poor societies, and many Haitians have abandoned their homes, or are simply squatting in whatever shelter they can find. Of course, thousands still live in tent cities and are relying on the help of international aid organizations.
     Those organizations are also providing food and water, which is bottled outside the country and shipped in. Although it is an island, Haiti has a high degree of water insecurity, and virtually all water sanitation has stopped. This has lead into another great crisis, the cholera epidemic.
Cholera is a water born illness. It causes vomiting and diarrhea, and the patient will die from dehydration. It can kill in as little as two days, and has already claimed 3,651 lives. Most western societies are no longer affected by cholera because of improved sanitation, but in Haiti, cholera risk becoming endemic the their society.
    All of this means that Haitians require the help of the international community for the foreseeable future. The question remains, however, if Haiti is able to help itself. In November, Haitians went to the polls to elect an new government, but the voting was marred by scandal. The current president, Rene Preval, supports candidate Jude Celstin, who is scheduled to face challenger Mirlande Manigat in a runoff next month, but the Organization of American States has accused Celstin's supporters of vote fraud, and asked him to step down in favor of Michel Martelly. Both Celstin and Preval have rejected this request. With the results of the election in doubt, its hard to see how Haiti can achieve the political will to begin solving their mounting problems.
     When the earthquake happened last January, the world saw one of the biggest outpourings of philanthropy ever, but sadly, most of that money has gone to waste or is sitting idle and unspent. So many are right to ask if anymore should be given, and it is a hard question to answer. Yet as citizens of the richest nation on the planet, it is our duty to help our neighbor, but the American government, and indeed the world, need to get serious about helping the people of Haiti while being sure to hold their leaders accountable. It is the question for 21st century diplomacy, how do we encourage leaders to live up to their responsibility to the world community without punishing those citizens that we are trying to liberate, er, help?