What is the Best Use of the International Community’s Resources;
Responding to Disasters or Trying to Strengthen Fragile States?
by Richard Burchill The recent earthquake in Haiti is, beyond
doubt, a truly tragic event. The impact of the quake in terms of
the physical destruction of buildings and infrastructure, the
massive loss of life, and the inability of the government to
respond all demonstrated how fragile the Haitian state is. While
Haiti is probably at the extreme end of fragility, it is not
alone in terms of states struggling to survive in difficult
conditions. And when something unexpected hits a fragile state,
the response of the international community is crucial, because
the impact is so much greater and the state's own ability to
respond so severely limited. In Haiti the current emphasis is,
quite rightly, on response. But it is also appropriate for the
international community to consider what can be done to support
fragile states with regard to preventative measures so that,
when emergencies do