Few expect that sending a new international “reaction force” to Haiti will solve the country’s problems more than the United States and international efforts in the past—yet none can afford to do nothing—for good conscience or political expediency.
On Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council postponed votes on U.S.-proposed resolutions to address gang violence and ease supply shortages in Haiti. The resolutions, which the U.S. and Mexico support, would send a multinational action force to contest criminal gangs’ control over water and fuel supplies.
[International] efforts are not sustainable without a credible Haitian political consensus in place. Hence, a policy disconnect persists between multilateral diplomacy and street-level reality.
En esas misiones de la ONU y otras iniciativas de apoyo a Haití ha faltado una visión de construcción del Estado como premisa básica para articular la sociedad, el sistema económico y la estructura gubernamental.
Global Americans and the Caribbean Policy Consortium hosted an event to discuss the Summit of the Americas and its implications for the Caribbean and the hemisphere more generally.
Last week, The New York Times published an investigative article detailing how Haiti’s “independence debt” to France contributed to the country’s underdevelopment. After the Haitian Revolution, in which Haitians revolted against French slaveholders and declared independence, France sent warships to the island and demanded reparations.
The ongoing political conflict in Haiti raises serious questions about the performance of political leadership and the roles of key sectors in the Haitian polity—notably political parties and civil society—in what is ostensibly a democratic state.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry was attacked in the northern city of Gonaïves on Saturday amid a ceremony to mark the 218th anniversary of Haiti’s independence from France.
Supportive rhetoric carries little weight in the face of economic challenges and countries’ objectives. Four key factors can incentivize a country to engage with China.
If there is a consensus among most of Haiti’s political factions and, belatedly, among much of the international community, it is that rushing toward elections in 2022 is unrealistic and simply dangerous for both voters and candidates. To hold a credible vote, Haiti’s leaders will have to work against the shaky track record of the past three decades.
