Give a Country a Fish

In 2010, Haiti made international news after a devastating earthquake ruined infrastructure and reshaped communities. The Haitian government received an outpouring of support from many countries around the world. Now, Haiti is again in turmoil. With a president assassinated, the country’s corruption and political paralysis unsolved, and violence running unchecked, it is clear to see that the support did not come without its drawbacks. Large flows of aid money have served to de-incentivize the country from addressing and fixing systematic flaws in the Haitian government.

Flows, a topic often discussed hand-in-hand with boundaries, refers to the flow of money, resources, ideas, and people through space. The concept of flows could be compared to an ecosystem. While professionals and park rangers can use different strategies to repair or protect a damaged ecosystem, it can be done recklessly or excessively. Those strategies can harm the complex flow of life and cause the ecosystem to become reliant on continued support. In Haiti’s case, a massive flow of aid has been the lifeblood of the country for many years. The aid allowed supplies and services to be more available, doing vital work to help Haitian communities in times of desperate need. That free-flowing aid has also served to function as an airbag whenever circumstances take a turn for the worse. However, international aid seems to be something many Haitian government officials consistently rely on to escape consequences of their action or failure to do so. Accepting international aid also implies that the states providing such aid will have a certain amount of impact within the country. The US, for example, has imposed its political opinions and agenda in Haiti. While this may have been done with good intentions, it has proven to be tone-deaf and neglect what Haiti really needs: a solid foundation on which to build a stable democracy.  

It has been proven throughout the years that establishing a strong, stable democracy is no easy feat, especially for the US. Many countries and governments in which the US have attempted to nurture democracy, including places like Afghanistan, have suffered from flawed tactics on the US’ part. It tends to be a recurring theme. So, what can the US do to change their approach to establishing and nurturing young democracies? If instead of offering aid money with little condition save for how to spend it, perhaps the US could incentivize a transition to financial independence. For example, in order to both decrease the involvement of foreign entities and encourage Haitian organization, Haitian-led projects could be funded with only general budget support.