As the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, a country saddled with one of the world's least effective governments, Haiti is uniquely vulnerable to a natural catastrophe. The earthquake that struck the Caribbean nation Tuesday night was so powerful it would have produced broad destruction anywhere. But in Haiti, it has caused enormous human misery. Tens of thousands of Haitians may have died, and perhaps millions more have been left homeless.
The U.S. government responded as it always does in such crises — with immediate relief efforts and promises to provide much more aid in coming weeks and months, in concert with the international community. President Barack Obama exhorted Americans to also help however they can.
This relief effort has some different overtones in that Haiti's history is so intertwined with America's.
For self-serving reasons, the United States occupied Haiti in sometimes brutal fashion from 1915 to 1934, with martial law in place for most of that period. While the military occupation yielded modernization, economic growth and stability, a U.S. government commission concluded it did not leave behind good preconditions for an effective, cohesive society.
Since then, Haiti has suffered through decades of drift and chaos. Even before this week's disaster, Haiti was already heavily reliant on the outside world. In 1994, an international force led by the U.S. military intervened to restore Haitian democracy. Multinational forces remain and are a pillar of the wobbly nation.
How sad that a people with so little now have even less. The tragedy in Haiti is immense.
REPRINTED FROM THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE.
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