29793: Corbett (reply) on issue of international vs national (local) blame for Haitian woes

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

> From Bob Corbett

Folks,  when I started going to Haiti in 1983, and taking groups for which 
I was responsible, in our evening sessions people would keep asking me 
(who they WRONGLY took to be some sort of authority) "why is Haiti so 
poor?"  These folks tended to focus on the "poor," but at time such things 
as government and other issues came up as well.

That's when I first got into discussions much like these on the list 
these past few weeks.

And for me this disucssion now comes at a most coincidental time.  I have 
just begun to read the new book by Alex Dupuy THE PROPHET AND POWER: 
JEAN-BERTRAND ARISTIDE, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, AND HAITI.  I plan to 
write a fairly extensive analysis and commentary on it when I finish, but 
this is a quite meaty book and I'm sure it will be well into February, 
even March before I finish such a task.  Normally I wouldn't mention 
something about a book I haven't even finished reading, and especially one 
I plan to write about.

However, I think Alex has written more intelligently and informatively on 
this very issue we are discussing than anyone I have yet read.  The first 
chapter is called "Globalization, the 'New World Order Imperialism,' and 
Haiti."  Relying significantly on his earlier book HAITI AND THE NEW WORLD 
ORDER, but adding new material, Dupuy makes a persuasive and provocative 
argument for the place and role of the "new" international order and 
especially the role of the United States and major international 
organizations of finance (World Bank, IMF and such) in impacting 
everything about everyday life in Haiti.

I won't detail his argument now -- even though my notes on this chapter 
are nearly as long as the chapter itself -- but I HIGHLY recommend this 
book to all who are interested in a serious read and challenge in 
understanding this difficult issue.

The data needed for finding this book:  THE POWER AND THE PROPHET by
Alex Dupuy.  New York:  Rowan & Littlefield Publisher, Inc.  2007.
ISBN # 978-0-7425-3831-3   and 0-7425-3831-1  (I guess one is the hard 
bound and the other the paperbound.)

If you want a marvelous, if difficult and demanding book to read, I highly 
recommend this volume.

Bob Corbett