Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Haiti: Government and Politics
two countries have improved considerably. The two governments
now explore cooperation on such issues as the environment,
drug trafficking, and economic development.
Relations with Other Countries
Ties with other Caribbean nations have been limited. Historically,
Britain and France strove to limit contacts between their
dependencies and Haiti, in order to discourage independence
movements. Haiti's cultural and linguistic distinctiveness also
prevented close relations in the Caribbean. Haitian labor
migration to the Bahamas since the 1970s has resulted in
strained relations with that country in the late 1990s because in
recent years Bahamian authorities have returned undocumented
migrants to Haiti. Following the election of Aristide
and the 1991 coup, a new awareness of Haiti arose in the Commonwealth
Caribbean, however. In 1994 Caricom troops were
the first international contingent to land in Haiti following the
entry of United States soldiers. By 1998 Haiti had achieved
membership status in Caricom. In general, Haiti's relations
with Latin America, historically limited, have expanded since
Haiti became part of a broader movement toward democracy
in the region in 1990, and then intensified as Latin American
nations, especially Venezuela, Argentina, and Chile, assumed
leadership roles in the resolution of the Haitian crisis of 1991-
94.
Other countries important to Haiti include the primary
donor countries for foreign assistance, especially Canada,
France, Germany, and the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Increasingly, European assistance to Haiti has been coordinated
under the auspices of the European Union, which, by
1998, was the largest single donor of aid to Haiti. Haiti has
maintained special cultural ties to France, even though the two
countries are not major trading partners. Haiti also has
enjoyed a supportive relationship with the Canadian province
of Quebec, one of the few linguistically compatible entities in
the Western Hemisphere and the home of a significant number
of Haitian emigres. The importance of Haiti to Quebec
and to Canada is reflected in Canada's leadership in the resolution
of Haiti's political crisis and its deep involvement in UN
peacekeeping and public safety programs since. Haiti's membership
in international and multilateral organizations
includes the UN and its associated organizations, the OAS, the
Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank (see Glos-
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