Where to start...Haiti

My email has been buzzing all day as people react and mobilize in response to the disaster in Haiti. It is remarkable how each special-interest group responds to the crisis through the lens of their own special interests. I've had appeals from groups concerned with children, with animals and with churches. Some are seeking support for their own longstanding projects in the country: orphanages, schools, shelters and so forth, while others have no pre-determined focus.

One cannot turn a blind eye to the human tragedy that is unfolding, and like all right-minded Canadians, I am donating what I can. For now, however, I am giving only to the pros - The Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières - and I urge others to do likewise. Disaster relief is complicated, and, in my opinion, best left to those with the proper infrastructure, training and experience. There will be time enough, for years to come, for the rest of the charitable community to become involved.

Like others with a special interest, I cannot help but wonder what will happen to the rule of law in Haiti. Early reports told of the total collapse of the main prison, leading to the escape of many criminals. I have no doubt that the court houses, law libraries, law offices, land title offices and so on have seen catastrophic damage as well.

Not top of mind while bodies are still being pulled from the rubble, but looking forward, where do you start rebuilding a nation - with the hospitals, schools, mass accomodation and infrastructure - without law courts, police stations, land title and corporate registries and the like in place?