Quote:
Originally Posted by VRM
We have sent money and support to Haiti in the past because it was in our own interests to do so - even though the results backfired (something that usually happens).
I wonder if we are capable as a people of sending money and support because it is the humanitarian thing to do.
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I think a lot of our past support has been as much for humanitarian reasons as for self-serving ones. It can be difficult to distinguish between the two and it's easy (especially in this era) to find cynical interpretations of financial and other contributions to such a lost cause... but yes, I think that the US has good intentions, separated as much as they can be from national self-interest.
If Haiti had ANY real value to us, we'd have gone in with military force and stayed there until the situation was stable. Haiti, unfortunately, has no value to anyone including most of its own population, so we avoid the complications of full engagement and try to make money do something for us instead.