Haiti has once again been struck by the forces of nature. The earthquake is just the latest in a series of tribulations which have ravaged the impoverished Caribbean island. The continuing political and economic chaos only serve to increase the impact of the natural disaster.

 
Earthquakes are not common in Haiti, but tropical storms are. In 2008 it was pummelled by a series of cyclones. French Haiti expert Amelie Gauthier points out that Haiti is also vulnerable to climate change caused by human activity:

 
"As a result of deforestation, the cyclones and the hurricane of 2008 caused widespread mudslides and flooding, many houses were inundated and there were many deaths."

 
Food shortages
The disasters also meant that the harvest was mostly lost and Haiti subsequently suffered serious food shortages. If Haiti and its nine million inhabitants were not in the news because of famine or disaster, then it was political violence. Coups and dictatorships have been more the rule than the exception, In 1957 François "Papa Doc' Duvalier seized power, later succeeded by his son Jean Claude, better known as "Baby Doc". The Duvalier dynasty terrorised the country, with thousands of Haitians killed by death squads, the dreaded "Tontons Macoutes".

 
Musical chairs
Following a popular uprising, the Duvaliers fled the country in 1986, assisted by the US government which supported the regime. The more-or-less democratically elected president Jean Bertrand Aristide failed to bring much respite in the 1990s. He was deposed by a military junta, returned, was re-elected and then deposed again. According to Amelie Gauthier, the game of musical chairs still continues:

 
"After the dictatorship, there were a lot of problems with democratisation. The current prime minister is the first Haitian leader to have completed his term of office since 1986. There has been constant political chaos since 1986."

 
Constant power struggle
The constant political power struggle and economic malaise have made Haiti what it is today: the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, with runaway unemployment and a continuing spiral of violence contained in the capital by the presence of a UN peacekeeping mission. Haiti heads the list of the world's most corrupt countries. Amelie Gauthier adds that any development is seriously hampered by an inefficient civil service and constant changes of government:

 
"It's difficult to introduce policy. In the last four years there have been three changes of government each with its own policies, which undermines coordination with donors and development policy. Other Caribbean countries have hurricanes but they are better prepared. And the aid invested in the economy is used properly. But Haiti lags way behind, it will take it months or years to rebuild the capital."

(RNW translation: imm)

Beware of scammers!
If you wish to donate money to one of the charities working in Haiti, please be aware that there are criminals trying to exploit the situation. If you receive any emails purporting to come from a charity and referring to the Haiti earthquake, ignore it and on no account click on any links in the email. Genuine charities don't send out unsolicited emails. See here for an example of such an email. We advise you to donate to one of the charities linked at Charity Navigator for a safe, secure way of making your contribution.