Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Dominican Republic: Government and Politics
in order for the deposed Jean-Bertrand Aristide to return to
office.
The country's international profile and its relations with the
United States have changed considerably since President
Fernandez assumed office in August 1996. In his first two years
in office, President Fernandez has made foreign policy and
international relations an important priority. He has worked to
strengthen the country's Secretariat of State for Foreign Relations
and its diplomatic capabilities in terms of personnel and
equipment. He has reached out to the country's Caribbean and
Central American neighbors, seeking to have the Dominican
Republic serve as a bridge between the two areas. He has reestablished
diplomatic relations with Cuba. He has also worked
with his Caribbean and Central American neighbors to find
common ground on issues that affect their relations with each
other and with the United States, such as drug trafficking, economic
integration, improved access to United States markets,
and the treatment of their emigrants in the United States,
including concerns about the forced repatriation of convicted
criminals to their country of origin.
The growing international profile of President Fernandez
and of the Dominican Republic is demonstrated by the fact
that the country now presides over the African, Caribbean, and
Pacific group of nations (under the Lome Convention that
obtains aid for these countries from the European Union).
Furthermore, the second summit meeting of heads of state of
these nations was held in Santo Domingo in November 1999.
In addition, the Dominican Republic presented the requests of
this group to the meeting of the World Trade Organization in
Seattle, which began in late November 1999.
One of the most challenging relationships has been with
Haiti. Although in general President Fernandez has sought to
improve relations with Haiti, he has also responded to domestic
fears and pressures revolving around the growing presence
of Haitian migrants in the country. As Haiti's economic situation
has continued to deteriorate and Haitians have found it
increasingly difficult to migrate to the United States, they
increasingly attempt to enter the Dominican Republic. Largescale
deportations of Haitians during 1998 and 1999 met with
protests; many deportees complained that they were not
allowed to demonstrate that they were legally resident in the
Dominican Republic and criticized their treatment while being
transported out of the country.
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