HAITI

The catastrophe in Haiti has put under the magnifying glass the extreme poverty large part of the world is living in. This country was barely surviving in the best of times, and the humanitarian aid and monetary subsidies were not of much, because they reached the people. From Papa Duck to Pival, it is corruption all the way. In this terrifying situation there is absolutely no centralized control in Haiti itself and people are having their legs amputated under local anaesthetic. The total disregard for human life as well as death is evident-people are buried, nameless, in mass graves. This is not uncommon in poor countries and even Eastern Europe still has this to a degree. (To me one of the most compelling things about the Western democracies is that there is a fight for every single human life.)

For the first time ALL of us have been awakened to the extreme poverty many people live in this world, the images of which we are now seeing on our screens every day.

This is the time for true American leadership and a long-term commitment to Haiti, which we do see happening.