BACKGROUND ON HAITI

Haiti, in the West Indies, occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. About the size of Maryland, Haiti is two-thirds mountainous, with the rest of the country marked by great valleys, extensive plateaus, and small plains.

Republic with an elected government.

Explored by Columbus on Dec. 6, 1492, Haiti's native Arawaks fell victim to Spanish rule. In 1697, 1/3 of the Island of Haiti became the French Colony of Saint-Domingue, which became a leading sugarcane producer dependent on slaves (Free Labor). The other 2/3 remain under the Spanish rules until the Constitution of 1801 by Toussaint "L'Ouverture" (he had a mind to make an opening to each situation of his time). By 1789 the French Revolution galvanized the politicat theater of France and impacted the world politics. France was Governed by the interim Government called "Le directoire". Life in St-Domingue remained the same although Liberty bells have been heard throughout French territories. In 1791, an insurrection erupted among the slave population of 480,000, resulting in a declaration of independence by Pierre-Dominique Toussaint l'Ouverture in 1801. Napoléon Bonaparte's efforts to suppress the independence movement failed. The latter eventually triumphed in 1803 under Jean-Jacques Dessalines, to form a new nation, a new State in the land the Arawaks tribes named Haiti. It was and remains the world's first independent African descent  Republic, the second Independent State in the Americas, the pioneer in the Pan-Americanism ehich gave wings to the conference of Punta Del Este and eventually the sense to Monroe's doctrine "Americas to Americans", the League of Nations and the United Nations.

The Revolution wrecked the Island's economy. Years of strife between the light-skinned mulattos who inherited their father's wealth, dominated the economy and the majority the Dark skin, African descents population, who were refused access to education. Both colonies, the French and the Spanish of the Island were freed from legal slavery since the Constitution of 1801 but the language differences and barriers not being improved was the root of an inevitable secession plus disputes with Easterners who form a new state, under the name of Republica Dominicana in 1844, and internal frictions continued to hurt the nation's development. 56 years later, the need to have an educational system could no longer remain silent, the Government of Geffrard call for help to the Vatican and signed the "Concordat of 1860" which provides for the Catholic religion to be declared the Official religion of the nation and monopolize the National Education. The succession of dictatorships that started out the nation continued despite of all efforts to introduce democratical principle to the Haitians. In 1874 an emerging powerful Germany made an attempt to set foot to the Americas by holding up the Haitian nations in the so called "Affaire Luders". Bankruptcy seemed to inevitable. Haiti negotiated with Americans to found a National Bank together with an accepted U.S. customs receivership from 1883. Haiti was the weakest link of the Nations of Americas. Not only she incapable of paying her debts but also an emerging greed for power caused the murder of 4 presidents in 2 years and the burning of diplomatic office in Port-au-prince. To prevent the worst, The U.S. Marines took over Haiti to protect their backyard from European intervention, right in the middle of the WWI, in 1915-1934. That military occupation by U.S. Marines from 1915 to 1934 brought stability, but with the indignation of the Cacos, under Charlemagne Peralte's leadership. Haiti's high population growth made it the most densely populated nation in the hemisphere, not to mention out of the 28750 Km2, 2/3 are just Rocky mountains, barely capable of sustaining urban life. In some aspects, Haiti has only approcximately 10,000km2 of normal land available for her cities, her farms, her Hiways, and her recreative parks. Haitians are suffocating the only natural breathing would be to emigrate but the political isolation, the langauage barriers amon her neighboring nations was and still is an additional handicap to bear by the Haitian people until 1979-80, a large part of the population sail their small embarcations toward the Floridian soil, coincidently with some Cubans to form what is called the "Marial boats".

The American Military left Haiti on August 1, 1934 while since 1918 they establishe a mmilitary school, and set an Army with the sons of the Haitian under the leadership of commissioned and non-commissioned Military officers of the U.S. Marices Corps. They left an Army of approximately the size of a Regiment plus. It took 12 years for the Politicians to domesticate the Army for their political ambitions and corrupt the other social and political inherited from the occupation. By 1946, emerged a socio-political revolution with a congressman from Verrettes, Dumarsais Estime, a High school Professor from Lycee Petion, Daniel Fignole, a U.S. trained physician, Francois Duvalier and others.  In 1949, after four years of democratic facade by elected President Dumarsais Estimé, backup by the military muscles, the Army seized power and exiled Estime who died in New York. A Triumvirat Junta took over under Levelt pretexting they will onloy organized new elections of which a member of the triumvirat, Gen. Paul E. Magloire, become President from 1950-1956. He revised and amended the constitution of 1946. For the first time, provision for the president to be elected by universal or popular votes and right for women to votes were adopted but effective until the next electoral session. Magloire, failed to prepare the new elections at the end of his term and his presidential power expires on December 6, 1956. A series of protest claiming the people want to go to the polls lead to a constitutional crisis. Magloire accepted to go back to the Army as the Chief and wanted to drop the presidential power to the Supreme Court. The first two Justices declined if they could not have the military support and finally Magloire has to go into exile like his predecessor. He was succeeded by a series of interim Governments until the nationwide election of September 22, 1957 by which Dr. François Duvalier, nicknamed “Papa Doc,” began his first term for 6 years in 1957. Two year prior to the end of his first terme, Duvalier dismissed his cabinet, organized new election and was re-elected for a new six years term until 1967. Three years later, He arranged to be proclaimed President for-life. On My 22nd. He took the oath for life. In 1967, he convinced the vatican to Haitianiza the clergy. In 1970, his terminal illnes diagnotics brought another crisis in the political theater and he presented his 19 years old son who succeeded him on April 22, 1971. Duvalier's secret police, the V.S.N. (Volontaire de la Securite Nationale) aka "La Milice" aka the “Tontons Macoutes,” ensured political stability with brutal efficiency. Duvalier's son, Jean-Claude, or “Baby Doc,” succeeded his father when he died in 1971 as ruler of the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. The second half of the 70s witnessed some good changes in Haiti's affairs. For the first time Haiti was listed as a developing country. National hiways were revamped and new one were added such "La route de l'amitie" Port-au-Prince-Jacmel (1974), "La route du Sud" Port-au-Prince - Cayes (1972), The central Hydro-Electric of Peligre (1971), The first International Airport of Mais-Gate (1965), the high productivity of tourism in the national economy could not do better at all times since 1949 for the festivities celebrating the bi-centenary of the foundation of Port-au-Prince; The Satellite dishes to feed a National Television Station (1976), The creation of a Nationwide Radio Station (1975). The multiplication of magazine and newspaper nationwide criticizing officials of the Government (Le petit Samedi Soir de Rene Philotecte 1976) as impacted by the U.S. political theme of Jimmy Carter (Humans rights), The emergence of chess, ping-pong and Haitian soccer teams to Regional and World class beautify the developing signals. In the early 1980s, Haiti became one of the first countries to face an AIDS epidemic, as devilished by the American media. Probably insinuated by the U.S.C.I.A as U.S. Government may have been in need of covering some experimental disaster. Fear of the disease caused tourists to stay away, and the tourist industry collapsed, causing rising unemployment. Unrest generated by the economic crisis forced Baby Doc to flee the country in 1986.

Throughout the 1990s the international community used democracy as their primary focus to Haiti but failed. They claim having tried to establish democracy in Haiti.Only Historians can dig burried documents to justify or infirm that claim. The country's, officially, first elected chief executive, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, with poor political and managerial skills, a trained a leftist Roman Catholic priest,  who seemed to promise a new era in Haiti, took office in Feb. 1991. Aristide, in fact, by the perception of his highly intellectual training and his carisma of non partisan, seems rather to make the affairs of more than one to be portrayed as the Christ of the empoverishe haitians.  The Seventys military class, however, discovered the real Aristide, denounced him but no one listen, so the  class of 1971 of the sole Military Academy of the country, Raul Cedras, Alix Silva, Himler Rebu, Guy Francois, Serge Francois, Joseph Pierre antoine and others took control in a coup nine months later, exiled Aristide to Caracas. Efforts from the International community began to negotiated the return of Democracy, meaning the return of Aristide. In October 1974, A UN peacekeeping force, led by the U.S.—Operation Uphold Democracy—arrived in 1994. Aristide was restored to office. He dismantled and dismissed the Army all together in December the same year, in violation of the Constitution. and at the end of his term, after failing to hold the office, he promote his prime Minister, René Preval, who became his successor in 1996 so called elections. Behind the scene, Aristid was the real chief executive, preparing to offically gain the office again for the next election. U.S. soldiers and UN peacekeepers left in 2000. Haiti's government, however, remained ineffectve and the economy was in ruins, mainly by the non precedented structural disintegration enhanced by open corruption. With widespread unemployment, Haiti produces not enough to satisfy the need of its population. Malnutrition, ineffective or lack of systematic national health care nourich migratorial thoughts. So a steady flow of refugees, mostly to the U.S. and the Dominican Republic was inevitable. 

In 2000, former president Aristide was reelected president in elections boycotted by the opposition and questioned by many foreign observers. The U.S. and other countries threatened Haiti, already one of the Western hemisphere's poorest countries, with sanctions unless democratic procedures are strengthened. Haiti has the highest rates of AIDS, malnutrition, and infant mortality in the region. Aristide, once a legendary charismatic champion of democracy, grew more authoritarian and seemed incapable of improving the need of his people while his bank accounts florish on the international banking system. Longt negotiations with the "Convergence democratic", Violent protests, questionable also, rocked the country in Jan. 2004, the month of Haiti's bicentennial, with protestors demanding Aristide resign. By February, a full-blown armed revolt was underway from the North and the Plateau Central, apparently with scattered members of the dismissed Army coming from the neighboring east of the Island, and Aristide's hold on power continued to slip down. The protests include the opposition, groups of armed rebels, and French and American diplomates pressures led to the official resignation and the ousting of Aristide on Feb. 29, 2004. Thereafter a U.S.-led international force of 2,300 entered the chaos-engulfed country to restore order, and an interim government took over. In July, the international community pledged $1 billion in aid. In September, Hurricane Jeanne ravaged Haiti, Death toll reach from 2,400to 3000 people, In the region of Gonaives. Most of them were mass graves because of poor sanitation condition to hold the bodies longer than 48 hrs for proper identification. Haiti was also defaulted in his internation debts for more than three months and her credit was as bad as John Doe. By December 2004, the current interim Government was able to paid 43 millions in arriered interest and a credit of 73 millions was approved in January 2005. The case of Haiti is serious, more serious for Haiti but also for our neighbors, including the U.S. Approximately 15 millions arms in Haiti, capable and willing to endure hard labor to survive and possibly live. By themselves they calculated production is only 1.7%  while the estimated 3 millions who live in cosmopolitans life style in America, France, Quebec etc... produce 5 times more. If it were not for the Haitian emigrants who transfer hard cash to their family members, international money would have disappeared longtime ago in Haiti. Haiti needs serious people for serious work of assessment to be done and seious effort to identify the available resources to bring relief to this beautiful island that could be a paradise if it was not populated by African descent, children of slaves, a defiant nation to the established world power. The history of Haiti was kept out of the American territories as a tool to keep control of the American slavery system in the South. As we know today, we all need help from someone else. No one can make it alone. We can safely ask: When the isolation for Haiti will end? (By Gabriel Dorcely)