HAITI: What to do?

The tremors have stopped, both the physical ones from the earthquake and the emotional ones from the people of the world. Haiti is rapidly settling into that despised period in human disasters when they no longer occupy the front page of the major newspapers and the prime stories on the network news. The crisis in Haiti is sliding into its place next to the New Orleans hurricane and the Indonesian tsunami. The story of the earthquake will occupy us in a more tangential way for a short period of time, and then will wait for the end of year articles about the most significant news events of the year.

But in Haiti, the tragedy continues. More bodies are found, more orphans are created, more violence and anger erupts, and more despair over the future grows. A country that has wallowed in poverty and poor government for decades seeks solutions to its current disaster in an atmosphere which is incapable of providing solutions.

I was intrigued by calls for the U.S. to "take over" Haiti...as in annex it. There is something to be said for that emotionally, but when reality sets in, there's no rational foundation for such a tactic. This is no time for empire building..

So what is Haiti to do? Is there a way to turn their "lemon" into "lemonade?" At first glance the answer is a resounding "no!" All that can be done is to patch up the mess and return to life in a nation with no future.

However, there is a possibility. It is a little far-fetched, but it is out there, no less. What if Haiti was able to do that which other countries or cities have talked about, but have never had the ability to undertake? What if Haiti were to trash Port-au-Prince and the other destroyed municipalities, remove the rubble to a massive landfill someplace, and build a new city...or a new country? Instead of trying to patch up the overwhelming mess that confronts the Haitians today, lay out a plan for the construction of a beautiful new city that might just signal a turn-around for the nation.

There would be millions of jobs available in a place where previously there were none. There could be beauty where previously there was ugliness. A new economy of tourism could emerge in a place that has a natural beauty which has been obscured by a poverty-stricken deterioration. Instead of despair on the part of Haitians there could be hope and promise of a brighter future.

Where is the money going to come from to do all this? Entrepreneurs and capital venturists from all over the world would be foolish not to invest. A Caribbean Dubai is not necessary...just a sparkling clean, fresh-painted and colorfully decorated city with hotels, restaurants, shops, and tourist-based industry. Instead of cruise ships sneaking into the beaches and pretending that Port-au-Prince didn't exist, there could be a cruise capital created on the site of the current rubble. Nations, industries, speculators, and others could be the backbone for a new industry which would create a new hope.

Not many places have the opportunity to undertake such a wild dream. And that is not to say "thank goodness for the earthquake!" No such thing. That's lousy theology. But there is something to be said for seeing the promise that this provides for a nation that may be without a vision.


Photo Credit: JONATHAN TORGOVNIK/REPORTAGE FOR CNN