tainted vote

Today's Miami Herald online featured an editorial calling the UN and donor nations (e.g. USA) to address recent political manipulations leading up to Haiti's parliamentary elections scheduled for February or March next year. The longer I am in Haiti the more convinced i become that the total lack of a stable government run by honorable and decently competent leaders is the primary barrier to Haiti's development. No amount of aid dollars and donations will solve this internal poverty of leadership - and yet we continue to turn first to economic answers to Haiti's problems. In many ways money is much easier to give than genuine accountability.

it can take a village - if you let it

Great NYT article on a program in Malawi that provides support to families who take in orphans rather than building orphanages. This was the approach supported by World Relief - the NGO I worked at for 5 years before starting my grad studies.

here fishy fishy

Interesting article in today's NYT online about the surprisingly good condition of Haiti's marine habitats and their potential to draw tourists. I've been snorkeling in one of the areas mentioned. While there is some lovely purple coral there is one very obvious thing lacking - FISH? (which the article acknowledges) The condition of the beach also leaves something to be desired.

Beyond the cruise dock, Haiti's existing tourist industry caters to aid workers, UN troops and relatively small circle of wealthier Haitians (and very likely some missionaries too). Ironically, as things continue to stabilize, Haiti will likely lose a third of its current customer base (the UN troops). Drawing tourists from beyond the island requires investment and strategic conservation/revitalization. According to the article, if money is a sign of commitment then the government comes up very short - Of the 2009-2010 national budget, 0.71 percent is devoted to the environment. Tourism promotion is promised 0.23 percent, though road and infrastructure improvements eat up a much larger share.

a longer road

I had a meeting with my thesis committee this week - for the first time in more than 18 month. I like my committee and really appreciate the wisdom/focus/feedback they offer. This week they gave me one piece of wisdom/focus/feedback that I didn't like quite so much - that there is no way I'm going to finish this PhD by August 2010. They think I should be planning for a December defense. On one hand, it's a relief - I do have a complicated analysis and want to do it well. August was sounding a bit overwhelming. On the other hand I'm now "that girl" who is spending more than 5 years in a Phd program. Ce la vie.

Officially out

Just after midnight on Friday morning the Haitian parliament voted the Prime Minister out. Reports say that a new nominee has already been named by the president - who know what that actually means given that the last time the PM was ousted it took more than 6 months and vetting 3 different candidates to fill the position. This time there is some pressure to fill it quickly and maintain some semblance of stability given the recent peak in interest around foreign investment. Oh Haitian politics....