"Why is Haiti so poor?" is the first question. "Is it because Haitians are dimwitted or incapable of getting their act together?" Kristof points out that "France imposed a huge debt that strangled Haiti. And when foreigners weren't looting Haiti, its own rulers were." Furthermore, he argues, "Haitians tend to be successful in the United States (and everywhere but Haiti)." The problem with Haiti, he concludes, "isn't its people."
"Can our billions in aid to Haitians accomplish anything?" Kristof tells readers not to "exaggerate how much we give or they get," and points to the actual numbers. He also quotes "even the leading critics of aid" who favor aid in this case.
"So, is Haiti hopeless?" Kristof isn't letting despairing would-be donors off the hook either: "let's challenge the myth that because Haiti has been poor, it always will be. That kind of self-fulfilling fatalism may be the biggest threat of all to Haiti, the real pact with the devil."
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Heather Horn
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