[R-G] Haitian Food Riots Unnerving But Not Surprising

[Anthony Fenton]

New at the Americas Policy Program

Haitian Food Riots Unnerving But Not Surprising

By Mark Schuller

Beginning early April, Haiti was gripped by a nation-wide mobilization  
to protest high food prices, reaching a crescendo on Thursday the  
10th, as thousands of people took to the streets. Clashes with police  
and UN troops resulted in an official count of five dead.

The media covered these events during the days of the crisis but  
offered little information to explain the protests. As awful as the  
loss of life, property damage, and the resulting climate of fear are,  
the "rioters" in the street are only the most visible manifestation of  
a crisis with deep roots. Both the Haitian government and the  
international community played important roles in creating the current  
crisis.

These so-called "food riots" are really the first flares shot up to  
signal the need for significant changes to the economic model. What is  
to be done? First, take heed. Second, take action. Long-term solutions  
will have to address both our dependence on oil and the inequalities  
in distribution within the world system.

Mark Schuller teaches anthropology at Vassar College and SUNY-New  
Paltz. For a fuller analysis readers can consult Schuller's chapter in  
a recently-published book, Capitalizing on Catastrophe: Neoliberal  
Strategies in Disaster Reconstruction,  
www.CapitalizingOnCatastrophe.org. He is a collaborator with the CIP  
Americas Policy Program at www.americaspolicy.org.

Read the full article online at:

http://americas.irc-online.org/am/5186