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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 29-Sep-04
Rioting and looting in Haiti following hurricanes may destabilize country

Web Log - September, 2004

Rioting and looting in Haiti following hurricanes may destabilize country

Haiti is almost a textbook case of impending civil war caused by poverty amidst a "market-dominant minority." The French-speaking light-skinned minority controls most of the economy, while the vastly greater number of Creole-speaking blacks live in poverty.

It all started with the best of intentions in the 1700s, when Haiti was an extremely wealthy French colony, thanks to crops sugar, rum, coffee and cotton -- and thanks to the efforts of 500,000 slaves that the French had imported from Africa. As time went on, Haiti became independent, international markets changed, and population grew. Since population always grows faster than the food supply, Haiti has become increasingly poor.

Today, Haiti is literally the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. The average Haitian makes $1.00 a day.

As we described when we wrote about Haiti last Spring, Haiti's last generational crisis civil war followed the American occupation that began in 1915. It didn't end until 1934.

So it's been long enough. Why isn't Haiti breaking out into another into total anarchy?

It's being headed off by a large United Nations led peacekeeping force, and a great deal of foreign aid.

I was startled to read a news story that says that even China is contributing.

Why is China helping out in Haiti? Doesn't China have enough poverty in its own country? Isn't this the country that massacres and jails people for meditating and exercising to Richard Simmons tapes -- wait -- I mean, meditating and exercising as spiritual followers of the Falun Gong?

Well, maybe China is sucking up to the UN because Taiwan is trying to get its own seat in the UN, something that China bitterly opposes.

Meanwhile, there are similar pockets of poverty in Asia and around the world.

When studying Generational Dynamics and the resulting patterns of genocidal wars, one learns to put one's feelings aside, and treat human history as a kind of scientific experiment, and in that sense Haiti is an interesting test. Haiti's population is growing at the rate of 1.71%, almost twice as fast as the food supply grows. That means that things are getting worse every year, every month, every day, and even international help can't help forever.

Last Spring, when President Aristide was forced out, Haiti was close to anarchy, and was saved by international aid.

Today, armed gangs are shooting at UN aid workers (which is what caused the UN to leave Iraq). The hurricanes have brough Haiti close to anarchy again. We'll put our feelings aside and watch to see whether the UN peacekeeping forces can continue to work their magic. (29-Sep-04) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 29-Sep-04 Rioting and looting in Haiti following hurricanes may destabilize country

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 29-Sep-04
Rioting and looting in Haiti following hurricanes may destabilize country