Naomi Klein Issues Haiti Disaster Capitalism Alert
Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, addresses in this short video the push to economically take advantage of the earthquake disaster in Haiti. Klein cites a document by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank, that advocates the US promote economic privatization and neo-liberal economic policies in Haiti that will be beneficial to foreign investor.
Readers of the The Shock Doctrine know that the Heritage Foundation has been one of the leading advocates of exploiting disasters to push through their unpopular pro-corporate policies. From this document, they’re at it again, not even waiting one day to use the devastating earthquake in Haiti to push for their so-called reforms. The following quote was hastily yanked by the Heritage Foundation and replaced with a more diplomatic quote, but their first instinct is revealing:
“In addition to providing immediate humanitarian assistance, the U.S. response to the tragic earthquake in Haiti earthquake offers opportunities to re-shape Haiti’s long-dysfunctional government and economy as well as to improve the public image of the United States in the region.”
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 
Thanks for posting this–I was just thinking about the “Shock Doctrine” when I watched the news clips of President Obama talking about all the aid that we’re about to send to Haiti. Like Naomi Klein, I’d really like to know if that aid is going to be in the form of grants or loans.
Like past presidents, Obama has turned a deaf ear to the many requests for help from Haiti since he took office–particularly his refusal to grant asylum to immigrants and refugees, picking up where George W. Bush left off.
Now John Kerry and Bernie Saunders are demanding that Obama grant temporary protected status to Haitians in the US. Too late for the tens of thousands of Haitians who were deported earlier this year…I could not help but wonder how many of them are now buried under the rubble.
When Obama said, “You have not been forsaken. You will not be forgotten” to the people of Haiti, I wanted to throw something at the TV. Our country’s treatment of Haiti is criminial, and they have been forsaken and forgotten by us for more than 150 years.
Excellent point about granting temporary protected status to Haitians. Bill Quigley with the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti http://www.zcommunications.org/zspace/commentaries/4108 made a similar point in a posting from today.
I share your frustration with the comments coming from Obama and the news media continues to not hold him accountable or anyone else by doing the disaster news porn approach to the devastation in Haiti.