Why have so many died?

Michael Balter 1/14/2010 03:32:00 AM Politics


We all know that if an earthquake of the same magnitude that hit Haiti struck a developed Western country, the death toll, while possibly significant, would be much lower. Why? This article from Socialist Worker explains how the policies of the United States and other developed countries towards Haiti have contributed greatly to its impoverished state. I won't vouch for every statement in the piece, but overall this analysis is correct.

Thanks to PG for the heads up.

More about why. From Tracy Kidder, an opinion piece in the International Herald Tribune.

Is the Haiti rescue effort failing? From Danny Schechter on Alternet.
Michael Balter

Posted by Michael Balter

I have been a working journalist for more than 40 years, beginning in Los Angeles as an investigative reporter and then in Paris as a travel, food, and science writer. For more than 20 years I have covered anthropology and archaeology writer for Science, Audubon, Scientific American, SAPIENS, and other publications. I have also covered sexual misconduct for The Verge, Scientific American, and others; I write about mental health, especially schizophrenia; and I engage in occasional media criticism. I returned to the USA in October 2017 after 30 years in Paris, and now live in the New York City area, where I currently teach journalism at City College of New York (I previously taught journalism at Boston University and New York University.) For more about me and what I do, copies of my articles, information about my book, and other goodies, please visit MY WEB SITE

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1 Comments

Anne Gilbert said…
I think there is a lot to the comments. I think some of them are definitely exaggerated, but OTOH, many of Haiti's problems stem from the fact that it has been, over the years, treated at best like some poor relation. A few bones have been tossed Haiti's way, but not enough of them to overcome that unhappy country's deep structural disorganization, which is one reason the earthquake has caused such devastation.
January 15, 2010 at 3:49 PM
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