Why is Haiti Such a Mess?
Haiti is the poorest country by far in the western hemisphere, and doing measurably worse compared to their Caribbean neighbors. Ever wonder why?
Late 1700s
In the late 1700s, Haiti was France's most profitable colony, exporting 60% of all coffee and 40% of all sugar consumed in Europe. The French imported up to 40,000 slaves a year, accounting for more than 1/3 of the Atlantic slave trade at times. Conditions were atrocious and the life expectancy for these men and women was only 21.
1804
After a 13-year revolution with Napoleon's forces, Haiti became the the first slave colony to declare independence. For the next 20 years, Haiti was shunned and isolated by the international community, as countries like the US did not want their own slaves getting any ideas about a similar revolution.
1825
To be accepted, Haiti was required to pay France the equivalent of $21 billion in reparations for "lost slaves." Haiti took out huge loans from American, German and French banks at exorbitant interest rates to cover it.
1900 - 1947
By 1900, Haiti spent 80% of its national budget on loan repayments. Haiti finally repaid the debt 120+ years later in 1947, leaving the country destitute and trapped in a spiral of debt. It got so bad, America occupied Haiti for nearly 20 years, terrified that they were about to default on their loans.
1980 - 1990
A series of domestic dictators followed, including the infamous Papa Doc and Baby Doc who killed 30,000 - 60,000 people as they embezzled hundreds of millions (best guesses are around $900 million). Both of these leaders were backed by the US for their strong anticommunist stance.
1990 - 1994
Haiti had its first democratic election in 1990, but 7 months later, then-President Aristide was overthrown, and death squads hunted down any of his supporters. Thousands died.
1994
Clinton sent 25,000 American troops to restore democracy, but American support was contingent on Haiti signing an agreement with the IMF and World Bank that bound them to open to foreign trade and required Haiti to import most of its food. Many of the agricultural workers were forced to migrate to the cities to look for work. This intervention by the US remains a key contributor to the problems Haiti still deals with today.
2010
A 7.0-magnitude earthquake 16 miles off the coast of Haiti killed 220,000, injured 300,000 and displaced 1.5 million people and left $7.8 billion in damage.
Many of the displaced citizens still live in the temporary shacks that were set up, with no running water or sewers and no power. Foreign aid poured in, but corruption and incompetence by the government and the many aid organizations led to little progress. The American Red Cross took in half a billion dollars to rebuild 132,000 homes, but an NPR investigation 5 years later showed that only 6 homes had been rebuilt.
Additionally, sick UN peacekeepers from Nepal didn't properly handle their waste and contaminated the water source of a nearby displacement camp, starting the 9 year cholera epidemic in Haiti that left 10,000 dead and 800,000 infected.
2016
Haiti is smack dab in the Atlantic hurricane path and suffered another huge setback with Hurricane Matthew. The massive destruction led to the lost of up to 90% of crops and livestock in some areas. Due to massive deforestation, poor construction and no coordinated system in place to manage disasters, Haiti suffers greatly from natural disasters.
2018 - Present
The last two years have been plagued with civil unrest leading to country-wide protests that shut roads, businesses, schools and access to hospitals. Haitians are demanding more accountability from their leaders. Not only for the earthquake aid, but also for the more recent billions in loans from PetroCaribe that was slated to rebuilt roads, electricity, clean water and healthcare programs to millions of people...none of which have materialized. The current president and others are accused of embezzling billions of dollars. Many politicians have resigned but President Moïse refuses, so protests continue.
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