Although every nation is unique, Haiti is in a class all on its own. Haiti is the first and only nation in the world to be created by slaves. By further examining Haiti’s history, it’s political background, economic hardships, and its relations with the United States one can see how these forces have transformed what was once the wealthiest colony in the Americas into the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere plagued by historic political instability.**
History
Haiti’s unique historical experience is tragic, yet noble. Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, occupying the western one third of the island. It is the poorest and least developed country on the Western Hemisphere. It’s poverty is deep and extensive. The country is plagued by chronic instability and frequent natural disasters. 60% of Haiti’s 20 million people live in poverty. A quarter of that number live in extreme poverty.
On December 6, 1492, Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Hispaniola and found a land ruled by Tainos. By 167, Spanish control over the colony ended, dividing the island into French controlled Saint Domingue and Spanish controlled Santo Domingo. Soon, the indigenous Taino people of land were wiped out. West Africans were brought to the island Hispaniola for as slave laborers to produce crops and goods for the mother countries. French Saint Domingue was the most profitable colony in the world, becoming the world’s largest producer of sugar, surpassing Brazil, Cuba, and Jamaica. At that time, half of the world’s coffee production derived from the Saint Domingue territory. Although such a small territory, with an area of about 10,700 square miles, Haiti was France’s most profitable and valuable colony. Haiti was coined as “the pearl of the Antilles.”
To rid the colony of European exploitation, from 1791 through 1804, Haiti revolted against the French. Former slaves Toussaint L’Ouverture and Jean Jacques Dessalines led a brutal and very violent slave rebellion against the French control. Laurent Dubois describes the Haitian Revolution as “an act of profound and irreversible transformation” that allowed former slaves to create a “space where former slaves could exercise cultural and social autonomy to a degree unknown anywhere else in the Americas.” (Dubois 2012, 16) on January 1, 1804, Haiti becomes the first country to abolish slavery in the Western Hemisphere and is declared the first Black Republic.
Political Background
Haiti, a country of historic authoritarianism often makes the news due to the way its politics prey on its society and oppresses its long suffering people. Its size, violent political displays, lack of sufficient infrastructure, and high illiteracy rate does not contribute to the country’s political stability. Leara Rhodes describes the system as having been “solidified in the post revolutionary period of the 1800s” and having “grown strong in the revolutionary period and remained strong in the post revolutionary period because of external threats to Haitian independence.” (Rhodes 2000, 44)
Even though Haiti declared its independence in 1804, the United States did not recognize it as such until 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln was promoting the emancipation of the United States in the Americas and abroad. In order to disarm German influence in the Caribbean post World War I, President Woodrow Wilson ordered United States Marines to occupy Haiti in 1915 with aims to promote and restore political instability. Because the United States occupied Haiti for approximately twenty years, the United States controlled Haiti’s security and money. According to Rocio Cara Labrador, the result of this was “imposed racial segregation, forced labor, and legislatures that opposed the US presence.” (2018) Another result of said occupation was a rebellion against the United States administration that occurred between 1919 and 1929 leading to fifteen thousand Haitians being killed. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt withdrew United States troops as a part of his Good Neighbor Policy. In 1933, Roosevelt stated: “In the field of world policy I would dedicate this nation to the policy of the good neighbor—the neighbor who respects himself and, because he does so, respects the rights of others.”
A series of unstable governments followed after the United States withdrawal in Haiti. The government came to a head in 1957 with the initiation of the twenty nine year dictatorship of Francois Duvalier and later his son, Jean Claud Duvalier. The reign of the two Duvaliers was characterized by massive corruption and the violation of human rights. The Duvalier regime left approximately thirty thousand Haitians dead or missing. After numerous protests, Jean Claude Duvalier was forced out of the country, creating space for a new constitution and democratic regime. The problems of the 1987 constitution were identified to be the gap between the massive population and the political class. (Dubois 2012, 360) Dubois highlighted that the goal of the new political order should be to:
Eliminate all discrimination between urban and rural populations, through the acceptance of a community of language and culture and the recognition of the right to progress, information, education, health, work and leisure for all citizens. To that end, the constitution for the first time made Kreyòl an official language of the country on a par with French
The constitution also pointed out that those who committed crimes of torture under the Duvalier terms were prohibited from serving in any form of government for ten years. It also created a new electoral commission that was in charge of overseeing the political process and ensuring legitimacy and fairness of elections.
Despite protests and international pressures, political instability continued. Jean Bertrand Aristide, the nation’s first democratically elected President was twice deposed in coups, in 1991 and 2004 (Labrador, 2018) Both events promoted United States military interventions that had the backing of the United Nations. Aristide’s successor, Michael “Sweet Mickey” Martelly, became president after following an election clouded by corruption and allegations of interference of the United States. Musician “Sweet Mickey”, who had never had any political experience, governed over Haiti for over a year.
Haiti was without a president from February 2016 until February 2017. Following Martelly’s reign, Haiti inaugurated Jovenel Moïse as president on February 7, 2017, causing a return to constitutional order. Moïse won the elections with fifty six percent of the vote, although the voter turnout was only twenty one percent. With Haiti’s tumultuous political climate, Moïse faces many challenges. Among the challenges Moïse, and other presidents to come face, are the ongoing recovery efforts from the 2010 earthquake and the 2016 Hurricane Matthew, a cholera epidemic, lack of economic growth, low voter turnout, and social unrest due to high levels of poverty and the lack of job opportunities. Moïse, like every other Haitian leaders is under investigation by the Haitian government because of his alleged involvement in money laundering and uncanny loan arrangements. Moïse denies these accusations.
Economic Factors
Not only is Haiti the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, it is one other poorest countries in the world. Approximately sixty percent of the population lives under the national poverty line of $2.41 per day. More than twenty four percent live under the national extreme poverty line of $1.23 per day. Majority of Haiti’s population relies on farming to feed their families. Haiti’s economy heavily depend on external revenue, accounting for twenty percent of the government’s annual budget. Haiti’s diaspora accounts for more than one fourth of the country’s gross domestic product.
For the last ten years, Haiti has run an annual average trade deficit of $190 million. The country’s major trade industries are sugar refines, flor milling, cement, and textile manufacturing; accounting for ninety percent of all its exports. The United States is Haiti’s largest trade partner. (Labrador 2018)
Labrador goes on to note that “natural disasters, disease, political instability, mismanagement of humanitarian relief, and a depreciation of the gourde —Haiti’s currency’s— have strained the economy.” (2018) Tourism, what was once a lucrative assets to Haiti’s economy has since diminished. Only ten percent of Haiti’s gross domestic product derived from tourism, compared to the rest of the Caribbean being fifteen percent.
Many international lenders have cancel3 Haiti’s debt after the damaging 2010 earthquake; however, Haiti’s borrowing has increased to $2.6 billion. The 2010 earthquake’s estimated damage went from $8 billion to $14 billion. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew’s damaged equated to thirty two percent of Haiti’s gross domestic product. Agriculturally, Haiti suffered losses of approximately $600 million. Hurricane Matthew destroyed Haiti’s food supply, causing a major humanitarian disaster. More than ninety percent of Haiti’s people are at risk for future natural disasters.
United States Relations with Haiti
There have been many attempts by the United States administration to bring stability to the country of Haiti. Because of Haiti’s exacerbated poverty and its proximity to the United States, Haiti has been receiving high levels of assistance from othe United States for many years. After Colombia, Haiti is the second largest recipient of United States aid in the Caribbean and South American region. According to the US Department of State, policy toward Haiti is “designed to foster the institutions and infrastructure necessary to achieve strong democratic foundations and meaningful poverty reduction through sustainable development.” Policy priorities include support for economic growth and poverty reduction, including through bilateral trade and investment to promote job creation; improved health care and food security; promoting respect for human rights; strengthening democratic institutions; and strengthening the Haitian National Police so that the country can provide its own security and work more effectively with U.S. agencies to combat international crime. (US Department of State, 2018)
The Obama administration geared at strengthening Haiti’s rule of law by boosting economic security, revamping healthcare, improving education, and upgrading the country’s fragile infrastructure. During Obama’s term, Haiti was the United State’s “top foreign assistance priority” in the Caribbean due its massive humanitarian crisis. In 2010, under the Obama administration, the United States agency for International Development was Haiti’s top benefactor, giving approximately $5 billion in aid.