Incessant, round-the-clock violence. An impending famine. Mass displacement. A near total absence of state authority. Hundreds of thousands of civilians stranded with nowhere to go.
You might think I’m describing Gaza. But no, I’m referring to Haiti, the troubled republic roughly 600 miles to the south of Miami.
It’s difficult to put into words just how chaotic Haiti is at the present time. The country is in a state of anarchy. Whatever is left of the Haitian government — to be honest, using the word “government” is charitable — is going through the motions like a substitute teacher presiding over social studies class in the public school system.
The most powerful figure in Haiti today isn’t the president, who was assassinated more than two years ago, or the prime minister, who is still trying to find a way back into Haiti after a trip overseas. Rather, it’s a gang leader nicknamed “Barbecue,” who once served as a police officer before being let go after he participated in a horrific attack in a Port-au-Prince slum that killed more than 70 people. Barbecue has since formed an alliance with other gangs in the Haitian capital and vowed to continue inflicting violence until Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns.
Gangs have always been a problem in Haiti. The country’s politicians have used criminal elements to do their dirty work — whether it’s to scare rivals, get their supporters to the polls or attack the political bases of other politicians. But like the........