After reading the following article from the Intercept by Ryan Grim, written on 13-01-2022, Former Ambassador to Haiti Said of President: “Put Him Aside” (theintercept.com)
I could not help myself to think about the chaos in Haiti.
But it is more than this article that made me wonder. Dan Foote, former Haiti Special Envoy, on a recent American Academy of Diplomacy podcast mentioned the failure of US permanent involvement in Haiti since the 1915 occupation.
And then, the Louisiana Accord, New York Times articles on the late President Jovenel Moise assassination, the arrests etc. etc. etc. Sounds and looks like docu-drama from Hollywood.
While Haitian leaders are part of the problem, one must admit that the US scorecard in Haiti is an F. Those of us in consulting, who plan, compare, and adjust according to actual results to achieve a particular outcome, are baffled with the situation in Haiti.
The FADH, Force Armee d'Haiti, AKA Coup d'Etat Army, was trained and equipped by the US Military. Duvalier "Papa Doc" and Haiti's first gang, the "Tonton Macoute," had full support of Washington, otherwise his blood thirsty regime could not have lasted 30 years.
We must remember during the "Papa Doc" Duvalier years, 1957-1986, the Cold War was in full swing, and the Cuban Revolution just ended with Castro's communist party in power, therefore Duvalier, an anticommunist, had good cover from Uncle Sam. Hence, his ruthless dictatorship murdered, tortured, and exiled some of Haiti's best and brightest.
The US albeit aided and abetted by egocentric Haitian officials who could care less about those they purport to represent, bare responsibility for the humanitarian disaster of epic proportion in Haiti.
They allowed it to evolve from the repressive Duvalier regime through the sponsored Coup that removed Jean Bertrand Aristide in 1991, a democratic elected President. Upon his return in 1994 with 20,000 US soldiers, President Aristide with the approval of President Bill Clinton demobilized the FADH and proceeded in arming young men from the ghettos rather than creating an environment conducive to economic development.
President Aristide remobilized the Tonton Macoute differently with young men from the ghettos to maintain his grip on power but failed. However, the damage was done, and the "leaders" who followed just built on his nefarious success in the ghettos.
The 1991 US sponsored election in Haiti received high praise as one of the best elections in the Caribbean, all along complimenting General Cedras's upholding law and order during and after the election. Nevertheless, the US and Haitian oligarchs killed the democracy they fostered post Duvalier.
I coined the word Haitiano-Phobia because of the following:
A- The Haitian Revolution scared the pants off slave owners in the US.
B- Haitian resilience, productivity, and ingenuity, regardless of socioeconomic background is in high demand worldwide.
Case in Point:
The title's picture says it all. Haitians are smart and highly productive individuals who believe in arduous work when given opportunities. Whether it's the Dominican Republic, North or South America, Europe etc., we bust our derriere every day just like the man in the picture, besides excelling at whatever we do.
Of course, Haiti has natural resources, how much, we do not know. However, Haiti has a young ambitious human resource who braved the Darien Gap for better opportunities. And that" Can Do" attitude is sought worldwide.
Haitian economist Jean Claude Paulvin wrote a Nouvelliste article, I believe in 2006 or 2008, that clearly pointed to Haiti's human resources as the most valuable asset the country has.
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