GEO Haiti 2010

GEO HAITI • 2010
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The Haitians created a state based on the structure
and functions of the French monarchy. After the
assassination of Dessalines, the Father of the
Nation, the country split into two states, each
with its own vision of the role Haiti should play on
the international stage. On the one hand, Henri
Christophe imposed a harsh and severe regime in
the north, establishing order and discipline in the
areas of justice, security and education. Named “the
builder”, Christophe set up fortresses to defend the
country in the event of reprisals from France. This
State wanted, as an example, to prove to the world
that there were no inferior races, and that Blacks
could attain a level of civilization comparable to
that of others, and even higher.
For his part, Alexandre Petion strived towards
the emancipation of other American colonies
under European control. Countries like Venezuela,
Mexico, Jamaica, Cuba and the Dominican
Republic received tremendous support from Haiti,
in the form of men, weapons and ammunition, and
also financial. According to Petion, the freedom of
the Haitian people was threatened by the very
existence of populations still subjected to slavery
in the Americas.
However, organizational problems during the
first decades were harmful to the young nation.
Corruption among the elites and the exclusion
of the majority of the population hampered its
progress (Barthelemy, 1996). The reins of the
country and the means of producing wealth had
passed into the hands of men of color (the former
free) and generals of the War of Independence, but
the vast majority of former slaves, around 500,000,
had not come into their share of wealth. They
finally settled in the hinterland, and on their own,
tried to survive by practicing extensive subsistence
farming. Their situation will deteriorate gradually
as a result of decreased soil fertility and erosion
caused by deforestation, together with precarious
land-rights and a traditional inheritance pattern of
land subdivision. Still now, the attempts of various
governments have not produced a genuine
agrarian reform (INARA, 2007).
The subsequent governments attempted to
renew international trade relations with France,
even agreeing to pay the French government a
staggering 150 million gold francs in return for
the diplomatic recognition by France of their
independence. Haiti therefore had to borrow from
French banks and carry out an intensive exploitation
of its natural and forest resources, as well as the
production and sale of commodities (especially
coffee), to answer to its commitment. This was to
have serious long-lasting consequences on the
economy and trigger chronic deforestation.
The country enjoyed a period of relative stability
under the government of Jean-Pierre Boyer, who
began the unification of the island in 1822, leading
to a military occupation of the Dominican Republic
for 22 years. In the mid-nineteenth century, power
struggles inflamed the country, culminating in
civil wars, with their attendant atrocities and
destruction. In 1915, on the heels of this civil war,
the United States army invaded the country and
initiated an occupation which would last 19 years.
The year 1986 marked a profound shift in the
political and social development of the country,
ending nearly 30 years of the authoritarian rule
(1957 to 1986) of Francois Duvalier. It seemed that
finally democracy had triumphed, but not without
difficulties.
Since then, three democratic elections were held,
legitimate governments installed, and efforts at
good governance and democratic progress made.
However, in 2004, after months of popular uprising,
the elected president, Jean Bertrand Aristide
resigned and went into exile. The United Nations
then passed a resolution, in February 2004, to send
military troops to stabilize the country, which led
to the holding of democratic elections and the
arrival of Rene Preval into power for a period of five
years. Haitians again hoped for a better future.