The two most difficult places to which I've traveled were Baghdad and Kenya. Iraq was a war zone at the time, and Kenya, particularly rural Kenya, epitomizes all of the challenges of third world environments, with inadequate health, water, power, transportation and other infrastructure.

But none of that holds a candle to what we see in Haiti today with a level of earthquake damage magnified by the country's underdevelopment. That is, Haiti's condition as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere leads to structures more vulnerable to damage during natural disasters, which the Caribbean is prone to experiencing.

In any case, today we see a country teetering on the brink of total chaos and anarchy. All suffering is personal. "Countries" don't suffer, people in countries suffer, and the magnitude of that suffering we see today is unacceptable by any standard.

Every nation capable of helping has a moral obligation to act, and many are -- thankfully.

There will be plenty of time for debate and discussion later over how Haiti can develop in ways that improves the standard of living for all its citizens. But today there is a crisis requiring immediate action.

Photos of the situation in Haiti (Daily Mail, UK)