United States - Haiti Observer Blog

The Haitian-American Patrick Gaspard is the most likely pick as a US ambassador to South Africa. Patrick is currently the executive director to the Democratic National Committee.

Gaspard is known to be a famous player in the politics of New York City and has formerly worked as Obama's White House political director. In his political career he worked for David Dinkins' in his Mayor campaigns.

In other responsibilities Gaspard served in the Service Employees International Union. He in 1980's and 90's participated actively to topple the apartheid regime in South Africa. He also, while working in the White House, played a major role in efforts to give relief to Haiti after the major earthquake destruction in 2010.

Read more →  

Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Secretary made Haiti a priority as part of the foreign policy in 2009. A commitment was made to change in the way United States and Haiti partnered.

Partnership With US

A lot of effort has been put in for more than 3 1/2 years by US to partner with the Haitian people and the government. GOH - the government of Haiti got a lot of support from the US after the 2010 devastating earthquake. Life sustaining and life saving needs were met.

One of the engagements was related to emergency and humanitarian aid and the other engagement was to pursue a strategy for long term sustainable development in Haiti.

Read more →  

Navassa, an uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea, is part of mainland Haiti. Between two- and three-square miles, it sits approximately 100 miles from Guantanamo Detention Center.

Founded in 1504 by sailors, its status during the next 300 years is mostly unclear. But between its founding and U.S. acquisition of the island, marine forces occupied it until it was turned over to the U.S. in the 1850s. For four decades, the U.S. mined the island for the phosphate, guano. Foreign and domestic conflicts brought mining to a halt by the end of the century.

The completion of the Panama Canal in the early 1900s raised Navassa's profile again when a lighthouse was constructed on the island. But in 1996, Navassa became abandoned when its lighthouse operations ceased.

Read more →  

During WWII when the Axis Powers managed to cut off the Eastern rubber supply, the then Haitian President, Elie Lescot proposed an ambitious to USA. He proposed to rapidly increase the rubber production during the war period in the countryside of Haiti. $5 million was granted by Washington's Export-Import Bank in 1941 so that rubber plantation can be developed in Haiti. This ambitious program was named at Société Haïtiano-Américane de Développement Agricole or SHADA. Thomas Fennell, an American agronomist managed the SHADA program.

Using US military support, Lescot administration cleared 47,177 acres of land by 1943 with the purpose of planting high latex-yielding cryptostegia vine. Over time, 100,000 hectares of land were claimed by the SHADA project. During this period, Elie Lescot campaigned and sold people the idea that SHADA will only improve and modernize agriculture in Haiti. However, Haitian families were forcibly removed from arable lands and nearly a million trees capable of bearing fruit were cut down.

Read more →  

Deportation has been a long-standing practice of the United States of America. With the Alien Act (1798), the president was able to deport an alien classified as dangerous, and the new Naturalization Act stated that 14 years, not 5, was the acceptable period for an immigrant to reside in the US before being considered for naturalization.

With the promise of a better life a shiny beacon to people in struggling countries, the U.S. has seen a steady influx of immigrants of various ethnicities and religions. Thus, the rate of U.S. deportations is well into the millions, with Ellis Island acting as a microcosm from which 12 million deportees, between 5 and 10 thousand per day, were deported during a 32 year period. Many were expelled for failing medical exams due to illnesses they picked up during their sea-voyages. A recorded 3000 took their lives after being turned away.

Read more →  

This is something I am totally in favor of. What I would call a smart move by the Haitian government to defend its interest. Everyone else does it why not us?

So what is the big deal that all the medias have been reported upon, making people believe that we are doing something wrong?

It has been made public in the press recently that the Haitian government has hired a one-time Clinton administration official with the objective to influence U.S. officials who pledged $3 billion after the 2010 earthquake. Disclosures document obtained from the U.S. Justice Department also show other lobbying activities by Haitians to influence decision makers in Washington D.C.

Read more →  

Louis Borno, a lawyer by profession, assumed the Haiti presidency in 1922. Elected by the State Council, he ruled alongside U.S. Major General John H. Russell, U.S. President Harding's appointee.

Borno had served as Foreign Minister under President Theodore, refusing to cede control of Haiti's finances to the U.S. The U.S. responded by seizing the National Bank of Haiti's assets. Serving again under President Dartiguenave, Borno's skill as a negotiator persuaded the U.S. to commit to Haiti's economic growth, without receiving any land in the bargain. When Borno became president, Haiti was still debt-ridden. He brokered a loan of $23 million dollars to balance the budget and also lowered import taxes to equalize the trade deficit.

Read more →  

Haiti, who had sympathized with France during the Franco-Prussian war in 1870, angered the German community residing there at a time when the bigger country was already smarting from the United States' use of the Monroe Doctrine to thwart their dealings with Venezuela.

Perhaps because of this, Haiti's allegiance to their former colonizers over Germany resulted in a systematic wearing away of the smaller country's dignity by the Europeans. As quickly as was possible, two German warships were deployed to collect debts owed to German merchants. On the command of Captain Batsch these monies were to be collected plus insurances. This move was to demonstrate their power over Haiti and ugly instances of seized Haitian ships, held until the money was paid, being returned with defiled Haitian flags strewn across the deck was a demonstration of the German control. The offending Captain Batsch even returned to gloat months later under the guise of a courtesy visit.

Read more →  

The US occupation of Haiti from 1915 to 1934 was US response to near-anarchy in Haiti. It was during this period that US took complete control of the nation and ran the economy, installed puppet governments and controlled every aspect of the nation including police and military. Haitians did not like this and neither did US citizens and the US troops that were deployed in Haiti. Eventually, in 1934, United States withdrew its personnel from the Republic of Haiti.

THE PAST
Haiti earned its independence in 1804 from France but the following century was a period of utter chaos and dictatorship. From 1908 to 1915, at least 7 men became President of Haiti but only to meet a gruesome end. During the same century, US was busy expanding its influence in the Caribbean and by 1914, US was actually interfered with Dominica Republic that shared Hispaniola Island with Haiti. It was in 1914 that US opened the Panama Canal that was both militarily and strategically of high strategic value.

Read more →  

Haiti en Marche is an online news publication, which also puts out a print issue distributed to major markets on the U.S. eastern seaboard and in Canada, France, and Switzerland. It is a weekly newspaper covering local news, the economy, post-earthquake recovery efforts, government of Haiti activities, and other news of interest to the Haitian community and Diaspora.

Recently its coverage included an article about the city of Jeremie, capital of Grand Anse Department, whose citizens are up-in-arms over stoppage of a road project. Commissioned by the Organization of American States (OAS), who awarded Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) the contract, a Brazilian construction company started work on a road just outside Jeremiah last year.

Read more →