Political Science

To help Haitis earthquake victims, change U.S. immigration laws by
Clemens

The articles reviewed about Haiti Tragedy, address the concepts of liberalism and post-colonialism aspects of international relations. Exploration of the articles reveal that there is need for genuine approach and need to address  the pertinent issues in the country,    by the internationals community, not only to offer material assistance to the Haitians but also to address pertinent socio-economic issues  that have come to the fore, as exposed by  the disaster. The abject level of poverty that is experienced by the Haitians is a long term issue that needs to be looked into as the post earthquake tragedy is shapes. Reconstruction of  the island  thus require economic stimulation, expert assistance and international solidarity.

Specifically, Clemenss article reveal  that respect for liberalism principles more so by America is paramount to reconstruction of the devastated nation. Liberalism relates to State of perfect Freedom (Stanford 2007, p.1). Liberalism requires that certain natural rights which a human being is entitled to should not only be protected by guaranteed by all. In this case, allowing the Haitians, who meet the required conditions, to migrate into USA would greatly assist them to overcome the challenges they face currently. If US recognize this fact, then the deserving persons will be able to liberally seek the specially designed visa to allow them passage into   the US. Relaxing US immigration rules is seen as a major step towards fulfillment of   the positive tenets of liberalism. In the process, the Haitians who are able to work will be able to assist their colleagues materially. At   the same time, by being able to fend for them, the people of Haiti who shall have managed to get USA Visa will have economic liberty. The will be immigrants will thus be liberated from poverty. Additionally they will be able to live in liberty, free from handouts and donations that are not reliable in supply.

Colonialism, post-colonialism and liberalism concepts are also outlined in the two articles. Both analysts trace the challenges faced by Haiti in relation to historical injustices like poor governance, colonialism and dictatorship.  The post-colonialism issues in Haiti have therefore led to mismanagement of resources, inheritance of unfair colonial structures and unaccountable leadership.

In relation to the principle of Liberalism, Brooks relates the current Haitian challenges to the content of the book The Central Liberal Truth. The level of poverty in the country is heightened by not only resistance to change but also lack of individual liberty. The articles reveal that long period of dictatorship that has perpetuated oppression of the poor and the weak is a lesson that the international community needs to learn as is responds to the current crisis.

Because of dictatorial regimes, the citizens of Haiti have for a long time been denied the right and personal group liberty to choose the leaders they want, to participate in civic activities and to have freedoms of speech, association and assembly. Consequently, the leaders have not been proactive as responsive to the plight of the masses.

Brooks further illustrates the concept of liberalism from a cultural perspective. According to him, the Haitians have not had a full sense of liberty as it suffers from a web of progress-resistant cultural influences (2010, p.1). A society however cannot be termed as liberal if its progress is hampered by voodoo religion if there is social stratification and cultural intolerance. Because of these cultural   resistances experienced in Haiti, the level of individual liberty has diminished. The society is therefore not free as expected (Bhabha 1994, p.6).

Post-colonialism has also been experienced in Haiti through foreign interventions more so during civic strife. Occupation of Haiti  was done by   US, Canadian and French troops (Miville1 2009, p.20). The civil strife in the country mainly resulted from high level of corruption and hopelessness of the masses. Foreign intervention however has only worked to aggravate the situation. Given that  the citizens of Haiti are largely slave descendants, coupled with the  exploitative nature of colonialism that the country underwent,  international interference  have been  interpreted as away of perpetuate the past ills committed to the people by the foreigners.

The concept of post colonialism, according to the articles, is revealed through the nature and manner of international response that the country received.  This was has been mainly an act of foreign led paternalism (Brooks). The foreign countries however failed to involve the local community in their rescue and assistance missions fully. Instead, they threw money to Haiti as opposed to putting into place measures to promote intrusive paternalism. This only serve to soar  the Haitians post-colonial predicaments (Vzquez-Arroyo and Tech 2005, p.2)

Further the rescuers and other international crisis bodies limited the Haitians liberty by have exclusive camps like Harlem Childrens Zone. In this case, the victims were denied the freedom to live communally as they have always done. To recover from a life shattering experience like the Haiti disaster, it could have been better if the foreign humanitarian bodies allowed some form of freedom and liberty within the camps. Instead, they appear to be implementing foreign ideologies and instructions from their donors and head offices thus alienating the Haitians further.