Growing Rich on Misery

By G. Dunkel
Published Dec 18, 2010 10:27 AM

It read like the start of a request to give generously. “Earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, floods in Pakistan, a drought in China, storms in Australia, a volcano in Iceland ... an ever increasing stream of natural disasters leaving millions of people dead, sick, starving or homeless and billions of dollars in lost global economic activity.”

But the Dec. 4 conference at the Wharton School of Business, entitled “From Haiti to Pakistan: A Year of Disasters,” was not about how to help people throughout the world suffering from the effects of these natural disasters. Its focus was on entrepreneurship, the art of quickly and innovatively responding to rapidly changing events to guarantee maximum profits.

The press release for the conference in Wharton’s student newspaper emphasized exploring and examining “the challenges and opportunities of disaster response.” When a business executive or business student hears the word “opportunities,” they immediately complete the phrase with “for profit.”

Wharton held its conference with big shots from government and strategic consultancies like Deloitte and McKinsey & Company. They wanted to make sure they didn’t create more problems than profits by operating without any regard for the feelings and needs of people.

But there is another approach to disasters, called solidarity. After the earthquake in Haiti, unions and churches, community groups and charities of all kinds opened up their hearts, efforts and pocketbooks to relieve the obvious distresses of the Haitian people.

More than half the people in the United States contributed to the Haitian relief effort. Similar outpourings of solidarity occurred throughout the world. Cuba, a small socialist country lying about 75 miles across the Windward Passage from Haiti, reinforced its medical teams already working there.

The U.S. military’s occupation of Haiti and other maneuvers of the U.S. government mangled the expression of this solidarity. But no one can deny it existed, was powerful and helped the Haitian people far more than the actions of a few entrepreneurs who “saw opportunities.”
Articles copyright 1995-2010 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.

Haiti's Elections Won't Relieve Misery

By G. Dunkel
Published Sep 6, 2010 10:28 PM

Hundreds of thousands of Haitians have been living in misery for more than seven months — without houses, jobs, sanitation, potable water or electricity. The lucky ones have tents for shelter, others only tarps or sheets.

There are 1,370 officially recognized camps where more than 1.7 million people live, according to the Camp Management Coordinating Cluster. Fewer than 10,000 have been moved out to a new camp, but it is isolated and on barren ground without trees, grass, stores or shops. Its single hurricane shelter, according to a July Al-Jazeera Fault Line program, is flimsy and far too small.

The Autonomous Federation of Haitian Unions on Aug. 23 denounced the increased exploitation of the small number of workers who still have jobs. Employers are ignoring labor laws that regulate overtime, hours and minimum rates of pay and are supposed to protect the rights of laid-off workers. (Haïti-Liberté, Aug. 25-31)

The major new problem for the people in camps, according to a number of Haitian community groups, is that private landlords, claiming they own the land on which the camps are built, are forcibly evicting them. About one-fifth of camp residents have been evicted. The landlord’s thugs often give no notice and demand people leave in a few hours.

Deeds to land in Haiti were problematic even before the earthquake, which destroyed most records. The Haitian government is reluctant to use eminent domain to block the evictions.

The government is also having a great deal of difficulty obtaining land to dump debris; private landlords don’t want to give up vacant land. They are betting on a tourist boom in Port-au-Prince, based on what Finance Minister Ronald Beaudin said in a July press conference: “Port-au-Prince will have electricity 24 hours a day, will have many big hotels, with luxurious houses facing the sea.”

In the midst of all this suffering and chaos, the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission has decided to spend $30 million on an election in November. The IHRC, which makes all major financial decisions for the Haitian government, is co-chaired by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Jean-Max Bellerive, Haiti’s prime minister. Half its members are foreign donors.

How the government will register and identify the nearly 2 million Haitians who have lost their homes and documents hasn’t been addressed.

The IHRC is calling for hurricane shelters for 400,000 people — about one-quarter of the people in the camps — to be built by November. That’s when the hurricane season will be over.

The power that the U.S. has over the IHRC and Haiti’s finances has led many Haitian progressives and radicals to say that the U.S. has established a neocolony in Haiti.

With the country occupied by U.N. forces and the people facing chaos, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has disqualified 15 of the 34 candidates running for president. The CEP still won’t even accept an application from Fanmi Lavalas, the party of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the most popular in Haiti.

Wyclef Jean, the rap star, was one of the candidates disqualified, supposedly because he didn’t meet a residency requirement. Jean had told the Haitian press, “Don’t worry, I’m not a populist, I’m a capitalist.” (Ezili Danto’s blog, Aug. 29) Jean’s candidacy has been the major story in the imperialist media.

Articles copyright 1995-2010 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.

Abayomi Azikiwe in Cleveland: U.S. Imperialism, No Friend to Haiti

Abayomi Azikwe To Speak in Cleveland "U.S. Imperialism: No Friend of Haiti"

Public Forum

U.S. Imperialism: No Friend of Haiti

Humanitarian Mission or Military Occupation?

Featuring Abayomi Azikiwe,

Editor, Pan-African Newswire, Detroit

Saturday, March 13, 6:30P.M.

Peoples Forum, Asia Plaza, 2999 Payne, 2nd floor

(call 216-534-6435 for elevator)



The earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12 has caused extensive damage and the deaths of untold numbers of people. Immediately the U.S. administration announced the deployment of 10,000 troops and a humanitarian relief effort to the tune of $100 million, a paltry amount compared to the $741 billion thrown to the Pentagon for 2010.



The history of U.S. involvement with Haiti goes back to the 1700s when the African people rose up against French slavery and imperialism. Haiti won its independence in 1804, but was not recognized by the U.S. until the Civil War. Haiti has suffered a blockade for over 200 years. The U.S. has militarily occupied Haiti on numerous occasions from 1915-1934, 1994, 2004 and 2010.



Come to this public meeting to find out the true history of Haiti and what you can do to help the surviving victims of the earthquake. We must demand the permanent lifting of the deportation orders on Haitians, the withdrawal of U.S. military troops from the country and the return of the ousted President Jean Bertrand Aristide, who was overthrown by the U.S. and exiled in 2004.

For more information call the Peoples Fightback Center (216) 531-4004.

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Greg Dunkel: "The Roots of Haiti's Current Catastrophe"