Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 02/2011

Transcending the Past to Build Haiti's Future

Robert Maguire

December 2010

United States Institute of Peace

Abstract

Key elements for achieving the monumental task of building a better Haiti after the January 12, 2010 earthquake include significant investment, determined leadership, strengthened institutions, coordination among actors, long term commitments and an operational plan to translate intention into action. A better Haiti, however, will also require important shifts in political, social and economic paradigms that are deeply enrooted within the country and in the perception of and approach toward Haiti by external actors. Without paradigm shifts that transcend the past, prospects for building a better country for all Haitians will remain as elusive as they were prior to the devastating quake.