Anatomy of a Haitian Tragedy: When the Fury of Nature Meets the Debility of the State

On January 12, 2010, Haiti experienced one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in recent history. In terms of fatalities, only the Bangladesh cyclone of 1970 and the Tangshan earthquake of 1976 in China surpassed the Haitian tragedy. This article argues that geography and geology sparked the Haitian earthquake, but the extent of the destruction was due to the massive failure of Haitian institutions, in particular the state, and international policy, which predated the earthquake. In sum, the Haitian tragedy combined the fury of Nature and the ineptitude of “Man.” The article demonstrates the logic, mechanisms, and consequences of institutional failure. Furthermore, it deems Haitian state building an existential imperative and suggests a road map to its achievement.