Global Compass: Geo-Economics & Geo-Politics

November 2016

EADA

Global Compass: Geo-economics & Geo-politics

Fragile States: Haiti

Carlos Luis Ripoll

An island located in the Caribbean Sea, which was initially used by pirates and slavery in sugar plantations; was the second free and independent nation in Americas and had one of the most successful slaves revolve ever.

Haiti is an economy with low labor cost in which two fifths depends on the agricultural sector (small farming). Under development as well as poverty and fragile government regime are the main issues the country is facing.

Social, political and natural facts contributed to the actual fragile situation of Haiti.

Haiti is in the top 10 between the fragile states in the world, with an index score of 105,1.

In the 1700s the slave population in Haiti was about 90%, the majority was African born who worked for the Spanish in the cotton and sugar plantations. They were forced to work in the Spanish farms.

Columbus was the first Spanish to arrive Haiti, and from the beginning his plans were to enslave Haiti’s population; as he mentioned on a letter to Queen Isabella saying that the natives were “tractable and easily led”^[1]. After Columbus returned to Europe, his soldiers built a fort in which they enslaved and raped the natives.

In 1791 took place the biggest slavery revolution, and finally in 1794 the slavery freedom was signed.

Napoleon Bonaparte with his brother in law, tried to regain control in Haiti, but the natives’ resistance and yellow fever played a key role against them and the attempt failed.

In 1990 the first truly democratic election took place in Haiti but it was not the end to military revolutions and huge instability for the country; in 1991 the chosen president was overthrown by the military.

Finally in 1994 United States negotiated the departure of the military ruling Haiti. USA military troops were deployed in Haiti in order to guarantee a peaceful democracy and reestablish control in the island.

In November 1994 Haiti suffered a natural disaster, Hurricane Gordon, it killed around 1200 people in the island.

On the other hand, 5 powerful families had ruled Haiti, called “the little mafia”, which are authoritarians and corrupt. Haiti is ranked 157 between 168 countries in the corruption perception index^[2] (2015).

In 2010 Haiti faced one the worst natural disaster in their history, a 7,0 earthquake in the Richter magnitude scale, which killed between 220.000^[3] and 316.000^[4]. This event gives Haiti a 9,2 score in the Demographic pressures and a 7,9 score in the Refugees and IDPs (FGI^[5]).