What does the tragedy that is Haiti’s earthquake have to do with great power politics or status. Well, thanks to the Wall Street Journal’s chart below (h/t UNRR) we can see how the world’s major actors have responded to the crisis:

The United States has committed by far the most humanitarian aid (163 million and counting) and one can bet that a sizable portion of the $106 million private individuals/organizations also hail from the States. France, which has a long history with the island nation, and the UK were also large donors. China ‘chipped’ in $4.4 million and India about $5 million. Not quite as impressive. The United States also took the lead in providing security and order for the disaster’s aftermath, though this was not done without some controversy. It should be duly noted that Haiti is clearly in the United States’ realm of responsibility and it is in the American interest to ensure Haiti does not devolve into further chaos, but if such a crisis occurred say in Southeast Asia, well like the 2004 tsunami, would aid from the US be overshadowed by closer powers? Would China, India, Japan, etc. stand up and take care of business? Well, this was not the case then and the great powers reactions to Haiti show no real change. The US may be declining in some ways, but it clearly is still the ‘indispensable nation’ and world leader in times of crisis. Just ask the people of Haiti.