Re-imagining Haiti

Via Michael Moynihan, I see that Little Steven Van Zandt is calling for the re-imagining of Haiti. Kind of like how the Sci-Fi Channel re-imagined The Wizard of Oz with that miniseries Tin Man, but, presumably, in a way less crappy way. Van Zandt writes:

The Haitian people need a partnership with a group of individuals that will help them, for the first time in their existence, establish a state-of-the-art infrastructure that will last 100 years, unencumbered by political and economic corruption. Then let the ingenuity, work ethic and spirit of the people do the rest.

He then lists a series of luminaries — from Warren Buffett and Oprah Winfrey — who will use their powers/wealth to rebuild the city in Van Zandt’s image. What that society would look like, exactly, is anyone’s guess. I mean, it’s not like you can create an information economy in a society where much of the population is unschooled and illiterate. Putting infrastructure in place won’t do much good without people to run it. Making Haiti a better place is a fine goal; actually accomplishing it seems to be out of reach of even the greatest of rock-stars-turned-Sopranos-actors.

And I’m curious to know how, exactly, they’d cut through all of the “political and economic corruption.” Just parachute in with some Xe bodyguards and start building stuff? If the locals complain, have them silenced? Establish reeducation camps to silence those who argue against the new class of benevolent, wealthy overlords? If only Haiti was more like China…