Since the earthquake struck Haiti 10 days ago, an arresting satellite picture has flitted across television screens. It shows the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which is divided between Haiti, the western third, and the Dominican Republic, to the east, the bigger part of the island.
From space, Haiti is grey-brown, all of its forests having been cut down for timber or fuel. But the Dominican Republic is lush and green, visibly flourishing. The two parts of the island seem to come from separate continents, though all that actually divides them is their frontier.
The blankness of Haiti on the satellite picture is a potent symbol of what has happened since January 12. There is no government, no political leadership, no army, and almost no infrastructure. The American military and the United Nations have stepped in to the political void, but even the 82nd Airborne Division is struggling to deliver food and supplies to the wounded and starving.
Haiti is not alone in being struck by earthquakes, floods and hurricanes. But it is a rare example of a state so comprehensively hollowed out by poverty, corruption, mismanagement and environmental distress that the earthquake brought it crashing down in a few minutes.
The truth is that Haiti has been on the wrong side of history for centuries. During all that time the Haitians have been victims of the most rapacious treatment by governments - particularly France and the US - as well as the world's bankers and their own ruling elite.
In the 1780s Haiti was the pearl of France's empire in the Caribbean, with a flourishing slave-powered plantation economy producing coffee and sugar. The slaves revolted in 1791, eventually declaring the world's first black republic. As punishment for gaining independence, Haiti had to pay 150 million francs in gold to France, forcing it to take out loans at high interest from French and US banks.
In 1911 it was occupied by the US to protect the interests of the bond-holders. The grim dictatorship of the Duvalier clan, which kept itself in power from 1957 to 1986 by manipulating the voodoo cult, was backed by Washington on the pretext of keeping Cuban communism at bay.
All the while, the light-skinned ruling elite lined its pockets and shovelled aid money into foreign bank accounts.
The Dominican Republic also suffered exploitation, slavery and corruption, but the outcome has been very different. It had the advantage of being neglected by Spain, the colonial power, once gold and silver were discovered in South America. It was never bled as a plantation economy, kept its debts under control and maintained good relations with Spain. Without Haiti's problems of debt, over-population and exhausted land, it attracted qualified Spanish immigrants and investment. Thanks to its greater wealth, it can afford to use gas for fuel, thus saving the forests from the devastation of Haiti's charcoal-burners.
This tale of two countries show how powerful is the cumulative effect of outside forces and domestic decisions. Thanks to being part of the French-speaking world, Haiti produced an elite that looked to Paris and despised the peasantry. For the Dominican Republic, Spain was a faded power during the modern era, forcing its leaders to make the best of their own resources.
There is a lesson here for the Middle East. Many people have compared Haiti with Gaza: both are over-populated and destitute and have richer neighbours who govern their fate. Haiti, of course, is a victim of a natural disaster, its effects exacerbated by centuries of exploitation; Gaza was devastated by the Israeli army in a planned operation designed to punish its people for supporting Hamas.
Much outrage has rightly been expressed at the contrast between the world's outburst of sympathy for the Haitians and its shameful acquiescence in the Israeli and Egyptian blockade of Gaza. In the future this will only grow as Port-au-Prince is rebuilt while Gaza looks like remaining in ruins, its people kept on minimum rations and quietly forgotten by the world.
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has promised to support Haiti now and "for the time ahead". This is not such a cast-iron promise as it sounds: the US has hardly been disengaged from Haiti since 1914, when it sent an occupation force.
If there is a US commitment to rebuilding Haiti it will not be because the Americans love the Haitians. Haitians have, since the slave revolt, been seen as a threat. The US sees Haitian reconstruction as in its national interest to stop an armada of destitute boat people landing on the beaches of Florida. The last thing Barack Obama needs now is an influx of Caribbean refugees, which would only add grist to the right-wing conspiracy mill that he is somehow "un-American" or dedicated to helping only black people.
Mr Obama seems to have accepted that helping Haiti is an issue of national security. But then, he said last year that creating a Palestinian state was in America's national interest, and that goal has dropped so far down the agenda it seems forgotten.
It is fashionable for Palestinians to say that nothing is going to happen soon, and they should wait for times to change, perhaps for 100 years. I think the wait-and-see brigade should look closely at Haiti. This nation has been fatally weakened by poverty, despair, emigration and feckless leadership. The Haitians have been waiting 200 years since their revolution for things to get better. Despite many pious hopes, it is probably too late to change their fate.
The lesson of Haiti is that history does not wait. It is all the more important for Mr Obama to stick to his promise to rescue the Palestinians from their desperate limbo.
@Email:aphilps@thenational.ae
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
HOW TO WATCH
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The%20specs
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The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
The Little Things
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Four stars
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
HWJN
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
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The National photo project
Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
How they line up for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
4 Max Verstappen, Red Bull
5 Kevin Magnussen, Haas
6 Romain Grosjean, Haas
7 Nico Hulkenberg, Renault
*8 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull
9 Carlos Sainz, Renault
10 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
11 Fernando Alonso, McLaren
12 Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren
13 Sergio Perez, Force India
14 Lance Stroll, Williams
15 Esteban Ocon, Force India
16 Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso
17 Marcus Ericsson, Sauber
18 Charles Leclerc, Sauber
19 Sergey Sirotkin, Williams
20 Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso
* Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth but had a three-place grid penalty for speeding in red flag conditions during practice
The Dark Blue Winter Overcoat & Other Stories From the North
Edited and Introduced by Sjón and Ted Hodgkinson
Pushkin Press
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
