The nation-state obtains its legitimacy by first guaranteeing the well-being of its citizens under an ideology like democracy.

More, it can, with certitude, at least be referred to as a quasi-happy place when its people enjoy an acceptable level of quality of life, which can be defined as having more than just enough income to sustain life, too - even by Third World standards.

Unfortunately, it is not so for Haiti, a land long with an innumerable number of eminent problems - from incredibly blanket dirt-poverty to famously tyrannical government to spectacular grand-scale corruption, and, yes, too, gross incompetence.

Now that a catastrophe of major proportions is one of a 7.3-magnitude earthquake, which has rocked the Caribbean nation of 8.7 million inhabitants for the first time in its 2006 years tortured history, causing widespread damage, including the loss of yet to be determined lives, though up to 3 million people are believed to be extremely affected, and this less than two years after four potent hurricanes unfortunately visited this small sunny corner (Haiti) of the earth in a spate of thirty days, the dream of attempting to convince the rest of the world that it can make history, by way of having a plenitude of economic opportunities for the vast majority of its citizens, in the distant future, is now even more remote, if not impossible.

Albert Camus wrote “Freedom is a long race.“ Sadly, the truth is that, to paraphrase the French existentialist, Haiti will rather undisputedly be a lot more in need of the international community’s assistance for a prolonged duration of time. And that’s the only way that those who also wish the Caribbean mountainous nation well will most likely be certain it will, at least, recover from this unprecedented tragedy.