Democracy is not a panacea....
5
Why not make it an US territory/51st state...?
8
Breaks my heart - the human misery and loss of hope.
6
‘Le plus ca change Le plus c’est la meme’.
A decade ago I did volunteer work for a charity sending medical equipment & new-baby supplies to Haiti. When I asked why no birth control supplies were sent to the island where the people couldn’t afford to feed the children they already had I was told, ‘the Catholic clerics & nuns who have great power there would have us thrown out of country if we did that’. As all the supplies we packed & shipped were donated I asked what the biggest expense was in getting them to Haiti (expecting sea transport to be the response)-‘Bribing the Haitian customs police to allow the supplies to leave the port to be distributed to the people is the single biggest expense’ I was told.
Haiti is and always has been the single biggest ‘basket case’ of the Western Hemisphere.
20
@Lewis Sternberg I have been to Haiti multiple times on medical trips and have NEVER had to pay bribes to bring in supplies. And birth control pills and condoms have always been available to people as far as I can tell. So the Catholics certainly have an influence, but they do not dominate the country as they do in some countries. Haiti is not a "basket case". It is a country with ambitious, bright citizens who want badly to work and make a better future for themselves and their families and communities, but they are thwarted by corruption of their own government, and frequently the blatant cooperation of foreign governments, including our own, in that corruption.
46
The blood is on the hands of the Republican administrations that supported the coups that removed Jean-Bertrand Aristide from power twice, and on the hands of France which imposed a debt on Haiti two hundred years ago after independence to "compensate" her for the loss of her slaves and her colony, a debt that Haiti had to pay till 1947 and has devastated her for all of her existence and kept her under the boot of American and French banks
26
I've heard despair speaking about Haiti ever since I can remember. I've heard about radical solutions to cure Haiti's problems forever. I've read about Haiti's history, salting the Dessalines wounds in particular.
I've heard every sort of blame imaginable.
I've heard every sort of racist comments imaginable - even though my imagination was insufficient to the task.
I've met Haitians who managed to come here, whom I've invariably found to be intelligent, honest, friendly and hard working.
Patience hasn't worked there. Money hasn't worked. Capitalism hasn't worked. Cronyism and dictatorship haven't worked.
Nothing has worked except colonialism. Haiti used to be the riches territory in the hemisphere as a French colony.
No sane country would want to have anything to do with managing that cauldron today, whether as a colony or not.
Maybe the UN can adopt Haiti and establish it as its first dependency. The UN can be even more corrupt and rapacious than the Haitians, but they would likely be less inept. What other choice remains?
7
I lived in Haiti for ten years, it's a hidden gem with friendly people which can never catch a break. Unfortunately, many of their problems are self-inflicted, like the disappearance of the Petrocaribe funds. Meanwhile, Haiti is sitting on billions of dollars worth of oil, natural gas and gold, but is unable to exploit it due to foreign interference, coupled with domestic corruption and social unrest. Plus ca change.
12
And these poor, illiterate Hatians will all make a bee line for the USA
7
@NYC Dweller
I doubt Trump would take them but, so long as they're Francophones, Quebec might have them.
2
@NYC Dweller I went to college with Haitian immigrants in Boston. They were normal people like anywhere else. There's a good reason why millionaires in the US are more often than not the children of first generation immigrants.
8
These are most obviously not "demonstrations". They are riots. It is staggeringly that a NYT does not know the difference.
11
@Olivier
In a population of less than 11 million 1.1 million are males ages 15-24 -- high testosterone combined with undeveloped prefrontal cortices. A recipe for rioting!
3
Doesn’t the Clintons have aid $$ for Haiti??
5
Haiti needs an American State Department development plan that has the needs of the Haitian people placed first. I remember a article about the garment industry after the 2010 earth quake. It was between an industry executive and the Red Cross or (maybe with) Sec Of State Clinton. It reported that people could be employed for as little as 13 cents per hour, if a factory was built. Read the Pro Publica report 3 Jun 2015 about the half billion dollars wasted and only 6 homes built. Everyone lines their pockets and fails the Haitian people.
8
The best job a person could have in this world is to be the leader of a poor nation: their whole job is just stealing. Stealing millions upon millions from its citizens and leaving them to destitution and despair. This is a man made issue, from slavery, colonialism, imperial interference (America) and corruption.
15
@Keely I do not understand why the opposition leaders think that things will improve by putting up barricades and stopping commerce.
3
France required a payment for freed Haitian slaves that totaled $21 billion paid over 122 years, from 1825 to 1947. In many years 80% of Haiti's GDP was required. Haitian forests and other natural resources were sacrificed to pay France. Does France bear no responsibility for Haiti's impoverishment?
28
@Anne millions I think, not billions. Your point is taken.
3
Stewardship - In my experience, is the answer.
After working as an environmental engineer in the public and private sector, in Haiti, off and on for a few years, Central Africa, a few different Central American countries, other Caribbean spots, and eastern Europe, my opinion is that Haiti is a perfect example where most countries are going to end.
Rampant overpopulation that has exceeded the limited natural resources and carrying capacity of the Eurasian agricultural systems. The only support stems from the diaspora, church groups , and the UN and the like, all making the situation substantially worse because al the resources are supporting an outdated and ignorant system. The European systems of development and management based on infinite growth are inappropriate for many reasons. The major one being that they require an inordinate amount of external input.
Haiti is blessed with a perfect growing climate, for tropical, sub-tropical and temperate climate foods. A concerted effort needs to be made where focus is on the ability of the country to grow an incredible diverse array of food similar to many forage based, pre-Colombian societies where the food production is tree based. Systems that fit the climate, native religion, ancestral knowledge base and population skill level. True Stewardship.
16
Haiti is a prime example of a country in need of a "Colonial Administration " for lack of a better term.
Hopelessly corrupt and robbed by their so called leaders from Papa Doc to the thieving priest , Jean-Bertrand Aristide, to drug dealing Rappers , this poor country has no who is not on the take.
They should be managed by people who are not corrupt like the Governments of Norway or Germany.
5
Trump is very concerned about corruption here. He will not be tossing any paper towel rolls to these undeserving Haitians.
4
As I read the comments below, I wonder how many have actually lived there or stayed there for more than a month. I have and the people of Haiti are wonderful people. They are generous and helpful. This is a shame to the world that no hope or help is being done. It cannot be fixed until the government is changed to a different way to govern. Corruption has always been there and most likely will always be until help is given to make the changes. The lack of electricity and food make it worse daily. Fear is real and people are desperate. This is a perfect example of social collapse.
I love you Haiti and I pray it gets resolved quickly.
25
This is indeed a tragedy and there are many all over the world.
We have too many people and dwindling resources.
We will not survive if we do not stop population growth.
this is a world wide problem, not just Haiti which has enough of a tragic history, colonization, slavery, etc.
I do not know what I can do to help , it seems overwhelming.
5
@Carla Are we not aware of the
liberation and Haitain Independence since the 18th century
Inflicting government, politics and politicians upon a people, usually a self-inflicted wound, produces results such as we see in Haiti. If the federal government tries to intervene, an even worse fate will be in store for the poor Haitians.
Pray for the people of Haiti. It may be their only hope
1
There is one political system that might bring some relief to this country- colonialism.
3
@Richard Katz A Receivership for a decade would be a good idea. Like Washington DC had with the Control Board which did wonders.
1
This situation is why I refused to send aid to Haiti when they suffered from the massive earthquake. Time after time, outside money goes directly to the pockets of the elite, and nothing goes into the country. How do you force ethical change and end internal corruption? We can’t do it here in the US, and Haiti is even less educated than Mississippi.
5
So sad that people who call Haiti home, and there are many other places in the world with similar unfortunate stories, need to live in such despair. Whoever wins control of the Haitian gvt. will have little to govern. The Caribbean regional organizations such as ACS, ACP, ECLAC, OAS, among others plus the US, and western gvts. such as France need to utilize their levers of influence. Haiti has been in a state of despair for so long and we collectively turn a blind eye. The Haitian people don’t deserve our callousness. They deserve respect as any other human being which the world has not shown them.
8
So sad. Haitians are a wonderful people, poorly treated.
I wonder if the DR is concerned about the unrest, literally at their doorstep.
Agreed it’s not about aid but putting that aid in the hands of non corrupt individuals.
3
@BK Christie Does anyone really think more Aid is the answer to this quandary?
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2009/feb/19/dambisa-moyo-dead-aid-africa
5
Where in God’s name have been our journalists? I first heard about this absolutely desperate situation many, many months ago when my Haitian friend (single mom, in her 40s) told me her mother died in Haiti and she could not return for the funeral due the danger. She cried in my arms about her fears of her youngest brother starving to death. I kept looking in The New York Times for articles. Nothing. Nada. Zippo. Our journalists have been tainted with nationalism fervor, and seemingly are not caring or reporting on our Caribbean neighbors, friends and family neighbors. Glad y’all woke up. I am angry about our loss of attention, understanding and compassion toward the world.
19
The reasons for the crisis in Haiti are varied as both internal and external causes are at play here. But the press tends to ignore the hypocritical stance of the US Government that only provides lip service to the Foreign Corrupt Trade Act as we've seen the influence peddling by Trump and the Bidens in Ukraine, or Clinton' s involvement in the failed Haiti Earthquake Recovery, or Senator Rubio teaming up with the Trump administration to keep Cuba under the boots of US embargo, or US regulators turning a blind eye to inflow of stolen Third World loot into the banking system.
4
... and for those of us in Northern California, angry about a few days of more or less planned power outages, complaining that we are not "a third world country," and so we deserve better -- the plight of the Haitians, among other things, is a reminder to count our blessing and show a little humility, at the least.
15
It's extremely difficult to see how things will get better in Haiti. There appear to be no politicians who want not to be corrupt. It appears that any leaders who arise among popular movements either use their popular support to attain a position where they can be corrupt, or very soon become seduced into corruption as they work with what there is of a governmental establishment. The rest of the world has made it utterly clear that it has no interest in doing anything that actually would help; the occasional spasms of essentially meaningless activity generally end up making things worse, as with the introduction of cholera. I'm certainly not qualified to offer suggestions. I deeply hope for something good to happen, but I don't dare hold my breath. In the meantime, thousands of talented Haitians are forced to go abroad, where commonly they're discriminated against, but where they at least may not live in as much desperation as they would at home.
9
I am ashamed that I didn't know this is happening in Haiti. Is there no one, no person, no agency, left in the US government to care about our neighbor? Or have we all, distracted by the nihilistic antics of our white nationalist president, just accepted his consignment of places like Haiti to a foul mouthed category of countries? Forget them is his message. Is it ours?
48
@Carolyn Ryan
Don't get too upset over Haiti: seems like the US collectively cares little about any impoverished people, places these days---even in the US. We've got a collective bad attitude via inaction.
2
@Carolyn Ryan We can't get the current administration to care about Puerto Rico, and that's part of the United States.
5
I read about the caprices of "gold-spoon" South Korean elites in a separate NYT article immediately before learning about the plight of poor Haitians in this one. The disparity is simply disgusting.
10
@Matthew T There has always been disparity. Though most of history it has been worse. If everyone were equal, there would be no incentive to produce or innovate.
1
@Stevie Your efforts to educate me are misplaced. I am not trying to argue for completely removing all disparities. I am simply noting how striking, how immense, and - yes - how disgusting those disparities can be.
3
Pay to play. Maybe Haiti’s president could offer to pay for a U.S. military presence- you know, like Saudi Arabia? Lacking cold cash, perhaps they could manufacture some dirt on candidates Warren and/or Sanders- just a phone call away.
More realistic, maybe the opposition could take a page from early communist movements; try doing something for the people. Start by picking up that trash in the streets (pictured), then going neighborhood by neighborhood, restore water, power, sewer systems, one at a time. Take the territory, little by little. And as a few comments suggest, ask for direct help from China, maybe the EU...not funneled through the corrupt government but by direct oversight by that nation.
I wish we had real leadership. I wish we had a UN that could actually do something as we read story after story about corrupt governments- but we’re busy putting children in cages- global banking....cages ....will have to wait.
18
While most any opportunity for an international spotlight on the concerns of small corners of the world, like Haiti, is much appreciated, the Times does a disservice to its readers and subjects by framing its text with the same, tired, "disaster porn" images that have typified its coverage since the 2010 earthquake. This coverage directly leads to the bungled aid efforts from governments and NGOs that worsen the situation on the ground.
While the suffering of the poorest is real and very grim and deserving of attention, thousands of people have been marching with dignity and in peaceful protest all over Haiti this past month, demanding change from their government. These are concerned citizens with agency, not charity cases. The pictures exist, the words exist. Find them.
23
Haiti is a sad case of what happens when colonial power who bled the country dry leaves and the people who have no history of democracy take over and continue the horror story.
It has gone on in many parts of the world controlled by the British, Spanish, French and other colonial power empires.
The way to deal with it, is to let the country decide for themselves which way to go and let the developed nations only get involved if mass starvation, genocide, human rights abuses take place.
Otherwise the developed powers can only make it worse like America has proven over and over again since Teddy Roosevelt and others got involved in the Phil., Cuba and PR starting circa 1900.
13
@Paul .. Many external forces have contributed to the sad state of Haiti. It's a stretch to say "colonial power who bled the country dry leaves and the people who have no history of democracy take over and continue the horror story." Haiti has been independent since 1804; it's the second independent country in the Western Hemisphere. Can we stop blaming the French now?
21
@Gary - While it is certainly is true that no one thing can be blamed for the current state of affairs in Haiti, to pretend than Haiti has been fully independent since 1804 is to forget our own American history.
Haiti was a colony of the US in all but name for 19 years from 1915 until 1934, as a part of our attempts to economically and militarily control the region. The economic and societal impacts of this are still felt today, as well as the distrust of US intervention.
This is not a call for blame, but for an understanding that the scars of colonialism in Haiti are deep and fresh.
5
@Gary ~
France required Haiti to pay reparations to France, from 1825-1947 equivalent to $21million dollars. So, Haiti was independent in name, but enslaved financially by France until1947. 1947! 112 years.
7
So Trump was right about Haiti. And Conan was wrong.
4
Regardless of the history in Haiti; the present issues are too many people on land that produces too little to support an excess population. No aid, no free money, no compassion is going to resolve an ecological problem. It's not racism now, it's a population that threatens the land by stripping it of its carrying capacity, for water, food and civil society.
There are some problems that cannot be solved by money, compassion or social structures.
18
@Paul This is the future of the USA and every other country that fails to limit its population to a level that can be supported solely by its renewable resources. Perhaps that is the intended subtext of the article.
3
@Paul Make it the 51st US State as we had a hand in creating Haiti. Or lease a military base with an economic development zone around it for the new crop of cannabis that is coming. Let in US investors who will then have a stake in a stable political future and influence office holders.
What do you suggest then, abortion on demand (like other bleeding heart liberals who are too uncreative to seek real solutions to help people)?
1
40 years ago, when I was 12, I remember a neighbor family doing humanitarian work in Haiti. It was through their church. It was a wreck then; it is a wreck now.
7
@Stevie Yes, Haiti was a 'wreck' 40 years ago and a century before that. It's carrying capacity was exceeded shortly after the French left. Since that time, and especially now, few people get to leave Haiti, not because they particularly want to stay, but because poverty and roadblocks prevent them from escaping. Simply stating it's a wreck now and 40 years ago ignores its history and the West's ( including US) role in that history; you just blame the victims.
1
An independent secular report found that when evangelical Christian missionaries took hold in poor countries those nations ended being more democratic, had greater stability, more educated girls, higher overall literacy rates, and less violence. So, before you dismiss a country and a church’s efforts, research facts. Thanks.
3
I wish they’d change the name of the country. That may help. Words are powerful.
2
It seems no one here even slightly blames FRANCE for any of this. Haiti is still bearing the effects of freeing it's people from enslavement. This country was doomed from the start as it had to pay equivalent of today's $20billion to France for their losses for losing slave profits or they would have bomb the entire island into non existence. France bears allot of responsibility in the current situation in Haiti and should be held responsible to repay every single cent in today's value!
27
@Ryan ... Blame France!? Good grief, we should implore France to take Haiti back as a colony.
11
@BD No. Just require France to give back the money without any strings attached. It would help to stabilize the country.
1
@BD
France wouldn't even attend the first Centennial commemoration of independence "but maybe next time". They wouldn't attend the second because the French president "didn't like Aristede".
This has been going on for a year and now it’s being reported?
18
@Gino No, this has been going on for a century and if you didn't know about it, you must have not read history.
2
I am a Professor of History. Haiti was the first Black Republic in the Western Hemisphere. Slaves in Haiti revolted against the world's most brutal slave regime in 1791 and gained independence in 1804. The United States was terrified that a free and independent Black Republic just off it's shores would provide an example to Slaves in America. The US began a systematic program to undermine the country and to keep Haiti feeble and ungovernable as a independent nation. This is the debt we owe to Haiti.
78
@Fanonian as a professor of history are you aware Haiti and DR were at the same economic level in 1960, 156 years after independence? The USA’s policy towards Haiti in the 19th century cannot explain the divergence in economic fortunes between the two countries that share the same island.
43
@Ed But the US policies in the 2nd Hal’s of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21 explains pretty much everything.
7
@Fanonian
Significantly, the US imported American sugar and UNDERSOLD the sugar raised on the island of Hispaniola to deliberately destroy their market.
On the other half of Hispaniola, the US has engineered the population to be childcare providers and maids for the NewYork wealthy. we are seeing the result of corporate control of the global economy.
17
If aid just goes into the pockets of corrupt bosses, how can Haiti get help?
9
Thank you for bringing the situation in Haiti to light at a time when most of the world does not seem to care. This is an untenable situation and the world needs to know the despair that the people of Haiti are going through with no hope in sight
9
@jmonfleury ... why does " the world need to know the despair that the people of Haiti are going through "?
2
A common thought in these comments is the "elite" siphoning off money. That is denying the fact that graft runs all the way down through the system. Every person with any power seems determined to get their cut.
11
Yup that’s right. When I used to live there (before 2006), it was absolutely expected to steal from the public funds if you have the opportunity. Your family would be quite disappointed if you don’t come back home with a new car and send your kids to good private schools
9
@Jean-Robert Stealing in government in haiti is tolerated and allowed! You wake up poor today and become rich tomorrow if you have a government job! Even if you are not qualified for the job, which is the case for most of people in government jobs in haiti. Corruption is destroying the country!
5
...and on the other side of the imaginary boundary line is the Dominican Republic...same island, 2 different countries, both w/ populations of about 10 million people....and yet why does one side thrives(relatively) and the other does not?
19
@Sandra Garratt Haiti was doomed from the start for obtaining it's freedom. This poor country had to pay France for its lost of losing slaves.. in the amount of $20 billion in today's value the country never recovered.
10
First the number is closer to $6B in today’s value. It was 150M francs in 1825
That’s said, why did Haiti accept to pay it? France asked Haiti to pay or to go to war. Jean-Pierre Boyer - Haiti’s President - decided it was better to pay than go to war. It’s not like Haiti didn’t have a choice to go to war again. We just decided not to by paying.
4
@Ryan Haiti once controlled the entire island. Again the citation of Haiti’s debt, a favorite among an increasingly clueless academic class, does not explain the divergence in economic fortunes between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. A divergence that began to occur in 1960.
17
Thomas Jefferson and others saw Haiti as a natural part of the United States. They chose not to annex Haiti because they wanted French help against the English. There is no reason Haiti should not be part of the US. They share a history of slavery and oppression. Already most of the population of Haiti has reached the US and the rest will arrive one way or the other. The birth rate is one of the highest in the world. The environment is despoiled. The tree cover is gone. The resources are gone. The topsoil is gone. The government is non functional and has been through many generations. Haitians are quite successful in the US. My neighbor who is Haitian is sending one of his kids to Harvard. Why not annex Haiti and allow Haitians legally to become US citizens and to move to the US where all of them want to be. With law and order Haiti could become a tourist and warm weather spot and retirement home for elderly retirees from the northeast. The only beneficiaries of the current situation are Florida and other southern industrial farmers who want cheap compliant labor and the Haitian oligarchs who are busy stealing foreign aid.
4
Unfortunately, we’re already having a difficult time with ensuring that citizens of territories receive full civil rights. Puerto Ricans, for example, don’t have voting representation in Congress and therefore no electoral votes in the presidential election. And before we just flounce off and annex another country, perhaps we should consider what the people of that country want.
11
@Jamie Pauline
My thoughts exactly. PR property ownership is deliberately muddled I suspect to allow private corporations to buy up the land.
And don't believe this problem exists only offshore, Americans here at home are close to feeling the same dread of the loss of assets and futures free of debt.
4
@Jamie Pauline
Because they did not want to pay federal income taxes Puerto Ricans did not want to become a state. They should be either cut loose with no US benefits and no citizenship or integrated fully. The current situation is not fair to the US taxpayer or many Puerto Ricans. I work with Haitians every day. Every one of them wants to bring their families to the US. The people of Haiti would be overjoyed and a referendum could be done to reassure anyone who would doubt it.
1
“We get the support of the population despite it all, because all the population has the same demand: the departure of Jovenel Moïse,” said Anthony Cyrion, a lawyer.
This sort of statement suggests that some sort of majority, including the professional class, see the ouster of a democratically elected president is the solution to Haiti's woes. Haiti has pushed out numerous prime ministers and presidents - which turns out to be an assault on its fledgling democracy and does not solve its economic woes.
It would have been helpful if NYT also interviews the other side, which might even be a majority, those who are clearly indignant about the Petrocaribe heist and their lives of poverty, but also just want the lawlessness and violence in the streets, which affects their families' safety daily, to end so they can for now get back to eking out an existence.
12
Not every problem has a solution. There are no solutions to Haiti's problems. No third party (not the US, not the UN, not anyone) would touch a country that cannot be fixed. I've never donated a cent to Haiti because I knew it would be misused. And that's exactly what's happened. We'll only see more of the same chaos indefinitely.
17
@George There are many honest charities doing good work in Haiti. Please do a Google search using some of the keywords in that sentence. These charities need your help and mine to provide food, water, health care and other services to Haitians. If your research indicates that there is a charity tht will benefit the people, and not the government, will you consider making a donation?
14
@George
I donate every month a small stipend to the hospital connected the founders described in the book, Mountains Beyond Mountains. Which means the one thing that is dividing us from Haiti is our FREE FOR ANYONE LIBRARIES.
2
@George all problems have solutions. We may not agree with the solution or the possible outcomes. If your toe is infected, there are several solutions. You can treat yourself, get help from a friend or go to a doctor or medical facility. Each will give you resolution. Bear in mind, your choice determines how you decide to solve your problems. Realize that a complete cure may mean you have to amputate! And again, which route you choose will determine how successful that procedure will be.
1
Haitians are very resilient. Rather than the standard portrayal of “poorest country in the Western Hemisphere” Haiti needs to begin viewing itself through a “green” lens and say, its people have the lowest per capita carbon footprint in the Western Hemisphere. The world could learn a lot from Haiti and how its people live.
1
@99.9
And when they get down to an hour a day of electricity, they'll be even "greener."
10
Haiti was destroyed by Haitians. They have destroyed the ecosystem of their part of the island. There are too many people fighting over too few resources. The silver lining: the people of Haiti can turn it all around, without any help, just by having smaller families. I wish them luck.
32
@willt26 And protestors and demonstrators destroying roads and infrastructure that is left are helping the problems how?
This is tragic. Mr. Moise should step down. If Mr. Trump wasn't such a poor excuse for a leader, he could at least encourage the current Haitian president to increase salaries for basic services, and provide critical foreign assistance. Destroying a country's economy benefits no one, and is far more costly down the line. Perhaps Mr. Trump's famous ostrich racism and neglect of the state department has made a bad situation worse.
2
@Matt while it isn't Mr. Trump's problem, if it isn't addressed promptly, you will find a similar situation to Mariel of 1980 and they won't be coming in the daylight. Help of neighbour helps the neighbourhood.
2
@Dr. Conde Trump won't even help Puerto Rico, and those are American citizens.
Too bad this article on Haiti didn’t include the disastrous effects of the last 40 years of American neoliberal policies.
Haiti used to produce most of its own food, but American subsidized rice and other products made it impossible for Haitian farmers to compete.
The plan, apparently, was to get the Haitian people to industrialize faster by getting the rural people working in factories making cheap goods for developed countries like the USA.
Only the industrialization didn’t work out, and even Bill Clinton admitted that his farm subsidies only benefited farmers in places like Arkansas, but were catastrophic for the Haitian people.
Additionally, the USA has poured at least 2.3 billion dollars into rebuilding Haiti but the Haitian people have nothing to show for it, because the money went to US companies largely based in the Wash. DC area.
This is the beauty of neoliberalism: taxes paid by the little people in America subsidized wealthy agricultural producers to decimate agriculture in Haiti.
Next, vast sums of money from US taxpayers were poured into Haiti that really only benefited wealthy and connected Americans, i.e., the “meritocracy.”
At every step of the way, a handful of wealthy Americans reaped vast windfalls paid by the little people taxpayers in the US that destroyed Haiti, and now every Haitian that can get to Florida has done so.
This is how you create disaster capitalism, fuel inequality and destroy the planet.
100
@Annie Gramson Hill
Agreed.
And the Clintons are to blame for Haiti’s despair for the last 25 years.
3
This is what theft of public monies with impunity looks like.
Grifters like Trump want to drain the US Treasury for their personal aggrandizement. He continues to try again and again; most recently, floating ideas like the use of Mar al Lago for the G7. These are blatant attempts seeking continued GOP "head in the sand" idle avoidance of duty by which he can continue to do what he wants.
People who continue to turn a blind's eye to Trump's behavior should go to Haiti to live for a while to learn what despotism is really like.
24
@Leslie Duval Grifters like Trump? Don't you mean the Clintons?
2
This would be a shocking article if it was one-of-a-kind. But it's not. There are more refugees afoot in the world since WWII, many living in camps of the same squalor as the Haitians, or worse. What's needed is responsible, caring leadership, not more handouts. The better-off-world needs to awaken to the reality that we're all in this together on this small blue globe. As the climate worses and environmental degredation grows, there's no room for zero-sum politics.
4
@OldPadre absolutely. One world is all we have.
1
It is so sad that nobody politically powerful in the United States cares enough about those helpless newborns shown in those photos. Where is the world’s compassion?
3
@Temp attorney
The Catholic Church is very active in Haiti. They both do charitable work and demand rejection of birth control thus simply keeping the people poor and dependent.
Loving one's neighbor includes both compassion and justice - making poor people have babies they cannot support is neither compassionate nor just.
29
@Sirdoocumbay NFP isn't called Vatican Roulette for nothing.
1
A Groundhog Day for Haiti. It implodes every few years What’s to be done? Nothing has worked so far.
12
So where are we in this? Where is the US sending in emergency aid, emergency medical personnel? Where is our rich country while our Haitian neighbors die? What is wrong with us/US? We are responsible directly for so much of the Haitian dilemma, yet this administration is doing nothing. Congress, where are YOU?
23
@Citizen of the Earth NONSENSE comment. We've given billions to Haiti, and other countries have assisted as well. Although a lot of the money given in aid by the Clinton foundation after the last disaster has 'disappeared.' PS we all live on planet Earth and have obligations not to steal the land or culture, but we have no right or obligation to 'fix' other countries. That is the problem, not the solution.
5
What a humanitarian disaster.
While Haitians are responsible for their own country, the US has long aided and abetted the installation of bad Haitian leadership.
The Trump Administration's silence and lack of leadership on this disaster is appalling; where do they think all the Haitian refugees will go when they flee Haiti ?
At least American billionaires can afford that extra super-yacht.
Heckuva' job, GOP.
44
I am sorry to say, but Haiti was better under Papa Doc. There was law and order, albeit forced at times, but it worked. Haiti had tourism, a source of income and employment. People could walk the streets, children went to schools.
A drastic change needs to occur. A revolution as was done by the founders of the Republic.
19
@chouchou14 His grandson has been elevating his profile among Haitians in Miami and in Haiti. Rumor has it he wants to get involved in politics and lead the country. Of course many oppose this notion. He's only 34 or 35.
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How many millions/billions was given to this failed state after the earthquake? Some countries are hopeless. Money is not the solution.
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Haiti is not hopeless. Only 7 cents of every dollar donated after the earthquake was given to local Haitians. The rest was essentially stolen by a handful of NGOs that spent money only on temporary relief like bandages and tarps. The Haitian people are some of the most hopeful and resilient people I know, if only they were empowered to reach their full potential with a government that cared and ensured basic infrastructure.
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It frightens me to consider a place irredeemable, but here we are. I did an investigative project in Haiti and was shocked at the chaos and routine disintegration of even the most mundane services. As if things could get worse, this sounds like a difference of degree more than kind when it comes to the current crisis. What can be done?
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@rjkrawf Did your investigation include the cost Haiti had to pay for freeing themselves from enslavement from France? $20billion in today's dollars. The country never recovered from this.
@Ryan No, it was about the way in which the US Army ran the country after the earthquake. The only place I had to hire a bodyguard for work.
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Thanks @kirksemple for this article that shows the situation on the ground. However, what it doesn't show are the efforts of groups- with a predominance of youth and women-- in the civil society, the church, political parties, youth and popular organisations to organise the resistance against President Moise and canalise much of the demands articulated by the people you interviewed into a viable platform for the new Haiti We Want. Haiti is one of the most unequal countries in the world, so a social justice agenda is imperative with health services, quality education, decent housing, potable water. Amend the constitution, review the electoral framework and provide emergency aid to the most vulnerable (2.6 million are in need of humanitarian aid according to the UN).
Corruption is endemic and government at the highest level along with their cohorts in the private sector have become political entrepreneurs syphoning off meager profits of state institutions weakening them even more, all with impunity at the top. This along with the corruption of close to four billion of PetroCaribe funds destined to aid the poorest have amplified the voices of the voiceless for an end to corruption and bad governance.
All of this to be articulated into new policies to change the situation for the better, once and for all.
This is a national movement, mostly citizen-led, to change the corrupt system into a more equitable one.
I am sorry your article didn't touch these positive aspects.
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@Monique Clesca This sounds like pie in the sky stuff that doesn't grasp the reality of the economic situation. All of these things require money to build and more importantly sustain. How can a hospital survive without paying patients? Who will build the houses if there is no money to pay the builders? Where will the money come from to either produce building materials domestically or import them? As it stands now Haiti is in arrears to fuel importers.
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@Monique Clesca Not possible to include everything you suggest in a breaking news story in a daily newspaper with limited space. What you suggest is a separate story is all. And certainly one to tell. The journalist did a fine job on this deadline story IMHO
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It is sobering when people begin attacking the facilities that are necessary to any functioning society. In an existential sense it is hard to see what the foreign exchange product of the Island even is. If Haiti cannot produce domestically then it becomes the ward of other nations- then only tenable if whatever government can equitably distribute relief supplies. It seems Americans suffers from persistent support overload. It seems befuddling that some uber rich people can slather themselves with wanton excess while people have to endure indignities like the Haitians.
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Tragic. And our headlines complain about the location of the next G-7 conference at Doral, or some other cockamamie idea coming out of the Oval Office.
Whether we like it or not, its the job of the United States to provide assistance to countries like Haiti. We're still the wealthiest democracy on earth and it is our moral duty.
We're not doing our job.
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@cherrylog754 : At this point you must know who our government works for. As long as the republicans are in power all of us will have to make sacrifices for our corporate overlords.
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@cherrylog754
Maybe it is time to let Haiti rise or fall on its own recognizance. The US has backed several dictators and none of it worked out very well.
I do not think there is anything wrong with allowing a country to decide on its own what kind of government it wants.
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@cherrylog754 Provide assistance? How? If the United States goes through the Haitian government, then the government siphons off the assistance and becomes more powerful. If the United States doesn't go through the government, it is yet again intervening in Haitian affairs, which inexorably leads to worse conditions down the road, because ultimately the interests of the United States align with the United States and not with Haiti.
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How much American aid goes to Haiti now and has been going there for how many decades? How does the impact of corruption in Haiti compare with that in Ukraine? If American aid is being leveraged on cleaning-up Ukraine, why not likewise for Haiti? It is so often the case that lack of money is much less of an issue than who gets it and how it is used.
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@Mark
American aid is not being leveraged to clean up Ukraine. It is being leveraged to support DJT and his re-election bid. Corruption has nothing to do with it.
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People seem to forget that Jovenel Moise was elected not once but twice for the same mandate. The first election was deemed fraudulent by the opposition party but the redo showed even greater support.
So here we are, two years later and the elected President is likely to be ousted. This has happened before with Aristide in 1991 and 2004. All the presidents in between got seriously challenged by the public during their terms.
The problem with Haiti is not democracy or capitalism or socialism. There is large number of corrupt officials siphoning the public funds (mostly funded by the US and foreign actors). There are a few business magnates - mostly middle easterns- who are extracting more wealth and increasing inequality.
To top it all, you have a vulnerable population seeking for easily solutions and feeling betrayed. If Jovenel Moise gets ousted, the next person won’t last long either unless they are more ruthless...which brings us back to strongmen. Going full circle.
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@Jean-Robert
Corruption by top government officials and looting of the nation by "business magnates" is not "socialism", it's despotism.
This story is beyond heartbreaking. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been sent to Haiti by the US and many European countries. But nothing is done to prevent Haiti's corrupt elite from lining its pockets with that money. It is the same in many African nations. Economic aid should be tied to specific outcomes. Meanwhile the human suffering continues.
I want to stay informed and I want to know what's going on in the world. But I don't know if I can stand to wake to stories like this every day.
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@Janot And most of the corruption is tied to Americsn interests in the free trade zone.
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Beautiful country and the people are warm and generous, that said I would like to see companies like Amazon come in and set up warehousing and distribution center for European markets. Training, call centers, or retirement centers this would also be a spot that China could easily benefit from. Lots of opportunity for a fraction of the cost.
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@CathyK Indeed the Chinese could radically improve the situation in Haiti if given a free hand but I don't think the US would like a Chinese outpost so near to the US mainland.
How is it that these corrupt officials are showered with huge sums of money ? Is there no control on how these monies are spent ?
I support an excellent private charity in Haiti and they run an orphanage , a school and a vocational center. The people in the surrounding area benefit indirectly. The facilities are away from any city but this turmoil is very worrisome.
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So sad. I guess my question is if they get rid of the president, then what? What is the opposition proposing policy wise to change the situation?
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I lived in Haiti for 6 months working for an NGO after the earthquake in January, 2010 and there was lots of hope and courage in the people despite the hardships, both short and longstanding. Today, I have a friend and colleague on the ground in Haiti and she describes the situation as nearly hopeless. As a Haitian pediatrician once said to me when I worked there, " Haiti needs a benevolent KING with both money and military support." Only then can the country identify what it can produce & sell to the world and THEN it will get on its feet.
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@Cam Yes that is what I said. Bring back the monarchy. It's the only way.
@Ed
Believe it or not, I have come the same conclusion. This elected government seems only able to produce last minute legislation that is then upended by the incoming administration so there is no forward public progress, only corporate greed success.
A benevolent king is a better choice.
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It is time to recognize that a functioning democracy is not always possible in some areas of the world. In many areas a democracy has been foisted on a people who have had absolutely no history of self-government and no understanding of how such a government can function. I can't help but think it was a great tragedy that the former French colonial regime in Haiti was ended so abruptly and without due consideration of what would replace it. We send our children to school to prepare them for life as adults. Perhaps the UN could be established as a sort of tutorial parent authority over such places with the object of teaching and preparing "untutored" populations to grow into a responsible adulthood familiar with the democratic process and able to make it work. Basic human rights should be the first and most important lesson to be learned. Children need a strong hand to assist them in reaching adulthood. If we truly love our children we naturally wish them well and prepare them for life as adults. Perhaps, I have worded my concern poorly but I feel that colonialism per se is not necessarily a dirty word and, if exercised competently, can be a valuable educational tool in raising the hopes and aspirations of peoples everywhere for the time when they can go it alone as adults. Traditional colonialism, set up to benefit the occupying authority only is, of course, a no no. A new kind of "colonialism" is needed, a loving parent so-to-speak who acts for the benefit of the child..
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@Cristino Xirau As I was reading this article, I was thinking this could use a monarchy. At least most would buy into their legitimacy allowing for attentions to be focused on growth.
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I’m from Haiti and I think your idea is not that bad. A tutelage is definitely needed. I don’t think the UN can credibly run a country for 5-10 years however; might be best if the US or China take direct involvement. I don’t know why they’d be interested in it but that’s the kind of structural changes that would make a significant dent positively.
The thing is, for a country so proud of their independence, I can see politicians rallying untold of people to destroy that tutelage. They would also get sympathy from the international media and any progress would be squashed
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@Cristino Xirau "it was a great tragedy that the former French colonial regime in Haiti was ended" Apparently you are not aware of the utter brutality and inhumanity of the colonial French in Haiti, where tens of thousands of slaves were dying every year from abuse. The country was then impoverished by an international blockade and a debt to France not paid until the 1940's. Yes, the government is hopelessly corrupt, but the country made significant progress under Martelly. While Moise is ineffective, he is not solely responsible for any of the current situation - he is a scapegoat. The unrest of the past year was instigated and is perpetuated by political rivals who openly flaunt their actions to overthrow Moise, while the entire country descends into chaos. Yes, they need a 'guiding hand' in Haiti, but the UN and its ilk seem unwilling to do anything aside from issuing regular press releases.
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