Global Policy Forum

Buffeted by the hand of man and the hand of nature, Haiti may be on the verge of becoming ungovernable and ecologically ruined. If there ever was a case for forceful action by the United Nations, Haiti is it. Gonaives, Haiti's third largest city, was devastated a week ago by flooding caused by a fierce tropical storm that later became Hurricane Jeanne and struck Florida. Before-and-after satellite pictures of Gonaives show neat rows of rooftops, once separated by bustling streets, now swamped by a sea of mud and pestilence. The latest estimates put the death toll at about 1,500 people, with just as many missing. Disease is bound to spread and kill many more people because of dirty water and lack of food.

Man-made chaos has made Haiti's natural disaster infinitely worse. Troops working under the UN flag and led by Brazil are desperate to hold back looting mobs so clean water and food can be distributed. The police station in Gonaives was overrun by gangs in February and seven officers were killed, so there's little presence of local law enforcement. The national police force is not in much better shape. The caretaker government of Gerard Latortue, installed after former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was pressed to flee the nation earlier this year, has been nearly useless in keeping the peace or distributing humanitarian aid.

The backdrop to much of the flood damage in Gonaives is the almost complete destruction of Haiti's environment. The differences along the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti are shocking. Dominicans have lush forests, while the Haitians have clear-cut their timber and denuded the landscape to use the wood for fuel. With little or no vegetation to hold the topsoil, much of the arable land has washed to sea.

For the U.S., Haiti's problems are more than a tragedy, they're a security concern. The U.S. already has long and bitter experience with Haitian chaos leading to refugees fleeing to U.S. shores, while narcotraffickers find safe haven on the island. Earlier this year the UN Security Council authorized deployment of 6,700 peacekeeping soldiers in Haiti, but only half have arrived, with Brazil contributing one of the largest contingents. Their charge was to make Haiti safe enough for elections next year. But that seems like a far-fetched goal, with gangs and former soldiers still running amok in most cities.

The UN has to make a fast and firm commitment to Haiti, and that may require the creation of a trusteeship arrangement to restore order. It will take money to rebuild the infrastructure, such as a network of paved roads and rudimentary health-care facilities. There has to be an international police force large enough to keep the peace and train a new cadre of Haitian officers. It is essential to have professionals in place to ensure that relief money is not squandered.

Soon the flood waters in Gonaives will recede, along with much of the world's attention. But Haiti will remain a desperate, miserable and dangerous place. And unless it acts, the UN will, once again, be as good as its empty words.

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