The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Jared Diamond on Haiti

Posted on | January 23, 2010 | 12 Comments

by Smitty

This post is prompted by Freeberg.

In my pre-blogging days, when I still had time to read stuff, one object of fascination was Collapse, by Jared Diamond. Here is the relevant Wikipedia.

I took my copy to work to show to a colleague, which will keep this post mercifully short. What I recall a couple of years later is rather gloomy. The DR is in relatively good shape because it was ruled by a rather odious fellow (try not to notice the Glenn Beck resemblance in the Wikipedia photo), whereas Haiti has had even less statesmanship. Diamond’s book focuses on ecological policy, and Haiti ‘enjoys’ a vacuum thereof.

If I had time, I’d re-read the chapter and offer something more substantial. The relatively easy question of Haiti is “How much money should we throw at the problem?” Given an acute problem like a natural disaster, putting resources against immediate, tactical needs is relatively straightforward.

How you go from 0 to stable government in reasonable time remains the bazillion dollar question. Maybe trazillion, in our Progressive era. Until the powers that be in Haiti recognize the need to break with the status quo and build something successful for the citizens instead, there simply isn’t much likelihood for change. Sorry.

Category: Haiti

Comments

12 Responses to “Jared Diamond on Haiti”

  1. Dandapani
    January 24th, 2010 @ 12:23 am

    Glenn Beck

  2. Dandapani
    January 23rd, 2010 @ 7:23 pm

    Glenn Beck

  3. smitty
    January 24th, 2010 @ 12:35 am

    Thanks

  4. smitty
    January 23rd, 2010 @ 7:35 pm

    Thanks

  5. Roxeanne de Luca
    January 24th, 2010 @ 1:39 am

    If we’re into correcting things now, you have an extra ) at the end of your FMJRA (middle column, top, this week to Pirate’s Cove).

  6. Roxeanne de Luca
    January 23rd, 2010 @ 8:39 pm

    If we’re into correcting things now, you have an extra ) at the end of your FMJRA (middle column, top, this week to Pirate’s Cove).

  7. Joe
    January 24th, 2010 @ 5:06 am

    I like Diamond’s account of the Greenland Viking settlements. I was amazed to realized they had lasted 700 years before they failed! Wow. All that global warming and cooling back then. Damn CO2. A few tweeks and they would have probably survived.

  8. Joe
    January 24th, 2010 @ 12:06 am

    I like Diamond’s account of the Greenland Viking settlements. I was amazed to realized they had lasted 700 years before they failed! Wow. All that global warming and cooling back then. Damn CO2. A few tweeks and they would have probably survived.

  9. Ronsonic
    January 24th, 2010 @ 7:15 pm

    I know Haiti well enough to cuss fluently in Creole. Its fundamental problem is fairly obvious to anyone who has spent time there and has the stomach to admit what it is he sees to himself.

    The culture admits no inherent value to human life. Of course people love and care for their families and wish well for their friends, but that is it. Aside from that very small circle no person is worth any more than the benefit they accrue, now. All people speak with their hands, the most common and characteristic of Haitian gestures is the hand washing motion followed by hands parted, palms up “what would you have me do.”

    The word “kleptocracy” was invented for Haiti. Its only prolonged period of sound governance was during the US occupation of 1915-1934. The telephone lines and other infrastructure built then were still in use 80 years later. Except for the railroad which was sold, rails and all by a later Treasurer. Fraud is not rampant, it is SOP, expected.

    There is no culture of governance, or even of caring for such a thing.

    Haiti is a project starting from scratch. We can only help if we begin by assuming nothing exists from which to build. That is the sad fact.

  10. Ronsonic
    January 24th, 2010 @ 2:15 pm

    I know Haiti well enough to cuss fluently in Creole. Its fundamental problem is fairly obvious to anyone who has spent time there and has the stomach to admit what it is he sees to himself.

    The culture admits no inherent value to human life. Of course people love and care for their families and wish well for their friends, but that is it. Aside from that very small circle no person is worth any more than the benefit they accrue, now. All people speak with their hands, the most common and characteristic of Haitian gestures is the hand washing motion followed by hands parted, palms up “what would you have me do.”

    The word “kleptocracy” was invented for Haiti. Its only prolonged period of sound governance was during the US occupation of 1915-1934. The telephone lines and other infrastructure built then were still in use 80 years later. Except for the railroad which was sold, rails and all by a later Treasurer. Fraud is not rampant, it is SOP, expected.

    There is no culture of governance, or even of caring for such a thing.

    Haiti is a project starting from scratch. We can only help if we begin by assuming nothing exists from which to build. That is the sad fact.

  11. Bob Belvedere
    January 24th, 2010 @ 9:16 pm

    Haiti will never rise from the hell-hole its in until the whole people change their attitudes to so many things. I haven’t a clue as to how to accomplish this because as Jonah Goldberg, Mark Krikorian, Mark Steyn, and, shucks, me show, they dealt themselves a bad hand way back when: The Truth About Haiti.

  12. Bob Belvedere
    January 24th, 2010 @ 4:16 pm

    Haiti will never rise from the hell-hole its in until the whole people change their attitudes to so many things. I haven’t a clue as to how to accomplish this because as Jonah Goldberg, Mark Krikorian, Mark Steyn, and, shucks, me show, they dealt themselves a bad hand way back when: The Truth About Haiti.