Quote Originally Posted by William F. Owen View Post
....and the Canadian strategic interest in Haiti is what?
I may be a cynic too, Wilf, but I'm one that also believes that states can occasionally rise beyond self-interest (narrowly-defined) to--on occasion--do the right thing for normative reasons.

It is certainly the case that states often dress up national interest in humanitarian terms, or use humanitarian initiatives to extend power and influence. On the other hand, I've worked in a foreign ministry enough to know that the reverse is true too, and people will sometimes successfully push through policies because they believe them to be morally right.

In the case of Haiti, I think Canada has some comparative advantages--including immigrant links, francophone, prior engagement, relative proximity, and no colonial baggage--that could be usefully employed in Haitian reconstruction.