Summary

The devastating earthquake in Haiti has only brought to light the ignominious conditions in which the majority of the population live. Buildings in the capital, Port-au-Prince, collapsed owing to the extreme poverty that forces the people to live in slums surrounding the city. In the wake of the earthquake, the US has taken the lead in coordinating emergency relief, taking control of the airport and promising to send 11,000 troops to oversee relief efforts and deal with security.

US involvement is viewed with ambivalence by the Haitians, who are fiercely independent. By assuming responsibility for coordinating reconstruction efforts, the US will need to reconcile the realities of acute inequality and waves of Haitian emigrants with long-term statebuilding objectives.