Matthew Marek/American Red Cross
The tragic loss of life this week in Haiti is in part the consequence of the devastating earthquake suffered by this impoverished country. The degree of destruction and the number of fatalities were, however, greatly exacerbated by Haiti’s status as the Western Hemisphere’s only “failed state.”
Since the overthrow of dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier in 1986 (whose despotic rule, combined with that of his father, François “Papa Doc” Duvalier, spanned the period 1957-1986), Haiti has experienced a series of weak, corrupt and disorganized authoritarian and quasi-democratic governments that have disregarded the basic social welfare and development needs of its people. The past few years have been emblematic of Haiti’s status as a failed state, with the country’s political class focused on short-term posturing, infighting and personal enrichment, essentially neglecting the medium and long-term public policies necessary to improve the living standards of the Haitian people. It is, for instance, no surprise that Haiti in 2009 was ranked by Transparency International as one of the 13 most corrupt countries in the world, and the most corrupt country in the Western Hemisphere.
Today, the consequences of the failed Haitian state are visible in the horrifying devastation and shocking number of fatalities resulting from the earthquake. For instance, the lack of any building codes and the failure to provide adequate shelter for the country’s inhabitants resulted in the construction of buildings and individual dwellings that crumbled under the force of Tuesday’s earthquake. At the same time, Haiti’s medical facilities (which are grossly deficient even in the best of times) have been able to provide assistance to only a miniscule fraction of the injured.
While no government can prevent acts of God such as an earthquake, it can limit the extent of their damage (e.g., via the enactment and enforcement of building codes and the construction of adequate housing for their citizenry), as well as lessen the loss of life in their aftermath (e.g., via the development of an adequate nationwide health care network and the creation of a rapid disaster response team/policy). Alas, the failed Haitian state has proven incapable of providing even the most basic of services to its population, and the consequence has been needless death and destruction.
The Haitian government’s incompetence and corrupt nature signify that it will be incapable of managing recovery efforts in the short-term (these efforts will be run principally by international organizations). Absent significant political reform, it appears doubtful that the Haitian political class will be capable of designing and implementing those public policies which would help to reduce the negative impact of future natural disasters on the Haitian population.
Mark P. Jones is a Baker Institute Rice Scholar, as well as professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at Rice University.