On February 9, Max Silverman wrote an article that viewed the aid effort in Haiti through the prism of Naomi Klein's "shock doctrine" theory. The shock doctrine posits a theory of "disaster capitalism," where practitioners take advantage of emergency or upheaval to force free market reforms onto a rebuilding country. While I know Max meant well in writing this piece, I disagree with many of his comments about Haiti.
Max refers to former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide as a "repeatedly elected populist leader." This is an exaggeration. Aristide refused to step down after the Haitian Parliament passed a non-confidence motion in 1991, leading to a military coup. When Aristide ran for a second term in 2000, the opposition protested after the Provisional Election Commission (CEP) declared Aristide victorious. The CEP - which Aristide controlled - declared victory for Aristide before the votes were even counted, and ignored constitutional stipulations for runoffs in senatorial elections.
So I find it inappropriate to suggest that Aristide was some sort of "populist" hero, or that the U.N. stabilization mission in Haiti can be characterized as a case of white people thinking that they know what's best for poor black people. It's those sorts of baseless accusations that perpetuate racial conflict.
It's not corporations that have left the Haitian economy in shambles. Neither is it globalization, sweatshops, or anything else remotely neo-liberal. The problem is socialism. Socialism creates dependency on foreign loans and is anti-populist because it denies people their right to choice and personal ownership. Socialism is the enemy of development.
According to the 2010 Index of Economic Freedom, Haiti is 141st on a list of the most economically free countries on Earth. While tariffs are average, Haiti suffers from crippling non-tariff barriers, import quotas, and customs corruption. A terrible export market worsens this: Haiti comes in 165th for the value of its exports, according to the CIA. Inflation is high, and the government distorts domestic prices. There is little freedom to invest in Haiti, especially for foreigners. The wealth of the world is waiting at Haiti's doorstep, but the government won't let it come in.
Be the first to comment on this story