Heine’s Appeal for an International Intervention in Haiti
Ambassador Jorge Heine, Research Professor at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and Interim Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, recently penned an op-ed entitled, “Dithering While Haiti Burns,” for Project Syndicate where he discussed Haiti, plagued by famine and gang warfare, and its steady disintegration into a collapsed state.
Heine underscored the extent of the catastrophe unfolding within Haiti, explaining that the central government has lost legitimacy, authority and the ability to squash the violent, organized crime syndicates that run rampant throughout the country. In light of stalling police aid from Kenya, he calls on international assistance to restore order to Haiti and provide relief for widespread hunger and disease.
Discussing the possibility of fellow Latin American countries intervening and providing support to Haiti, Heine posited:
At a time when [Latin America] is becoming less relevant on the international stage, it has much to gain by stepping in to address the most urgent crisis in its own neighborhood. Who better to rescue millions of innocent Haitians from another downward spiral into violence, dysfunction, and famine?
The article can be accessed in full here.
Ambassador Jorge Heine is a Research Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He has served as ambassador of Chile to China (2014-2017), to India (2003-2007), and to South Africa (1994-1999), and as a Cabinet Minister in the Chilean Government. Read more about Ambassador Heine on his Pardee School faculty profile.