Its kind of funny we are reading this book now because this is the type of conversation I am learning about in 3 of my other classes. What is foreign aid, what is the purpose, who is it “helping”, and is it effective are just a couple of questions that complicates the simplistic idea of foreign or humanitarian aid and intervention. Madison Bell is no stranger to Haiti. In her book review of The Big Truck Went By , she commends Katz for staying and recording the evidence from an objective standpoint. She praises his devotion to Haiti, even if it means calling out the mistakes and contradictions of not only one of the most powerful country in the world but his home.
However, I found it most interesting the parallels Bell and Katz drew, connecting US occupation during the 1930s to the Duvalier dictatorship and back to foreign aid (mainly US aid). Katz says, “the Americans knew it would be easier to control the country from a single locus of power.” This illusion expresses how detrimental foreign and humanitarian aid is effecting Haiti and other countries alike, even with the best intentions. Similar to how occupations forced Haitians into one central area and how Duvalier tried to centralize the country, foreign aid (water, money, food) was distributed in the cities rather than the rural areas that many people left to after the earthquake. Despite various recommendations to have various supply distribution sites in the rural areas around Port-au-Prince, US aid agencies felt it was more effective to have one major distribution site, in the city. This forced many people to migrate back to their destroyed homes in the cities or if they didn’t live in the city previous to the earthquake, they were forced to find a home among the debris.Like we stated in class as well as in Katz, most aid isn’t direct but rather used to supplement logistics of these aids.
So, after learning and being enlightened about the real issues with foreign and humanitarian aid, what is the most effective way to provide help? What do you all think we think the most practical way to help countries in need? I know I can answer directly, because I’m not an expert, but hopefully we (and I mean us Americans) can find a way to implement balanced foreign aid; providing short-term care but also helping countries accomplish self-sustainability.
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