Haiti, just like any country in the world has its vast history that influences what it is today. Haiti is unique because of its regional, historical, and ethnicities. Haiti has its many firsts compared to many nations: it is the first country in the Caribbean that got its independence, the first post-colonial nation that is predominantly black, and the first one that got its independence through slave rebellion which was successfully staged. Moreover, Haiti is the only country in the Caribbean who uses French as its official language. However, with this historic “firsts”, Haiti remains to be a nation where development seems to be too elusive. The purpose of this brief paper is to for me to assist in providing you a bird’s eye view of the entirety of Haiti as a nation from its discovery until today. In December 5, 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered the island of Hispaniola which we now know as Haiti. The Spaniards gave a third part of Hispaniola to France in 1697 and the latter called it Saint Domingue which later became known to be the richest colony in the world. However, it is the most cruel where half a million slaves were starved, beaten, and buried alive for petty offenses. Because of this cruelty, a black rebellion ensued in 1791 which triggered the civil war. Five years later, the chaos ended through the efforts of Toussaint L’Ouverture, a doctor and military man. However, in 1802, slavery was again introduced through the Convention of Paris, triggering more revolts and massacres. When Jean Jacques Dessalines declared a Republic of Haiti in 1804, it was met with disgust from the regime and they assassinated him two years after. (5) A tyrant leader Henry Christophe emerged and ruled like a king. In 1820, General Boyer took over and ended the civil war. He was responsible for gaining independence for Haiti from France. From 1843 to 1915, Haiti witnessed 22 leaders of state where majority left office by violent means. For almost 20 years the Americans occupied Haiti amidst the opposition of the natives. For the first time in 1957, Haiti elected a president in the person of Francois Duvalier. He was the most ruthless ruler that Haiti experienced as he terrorized the country with his practice of voodoo. He changed the Constitution that would make him president for life. When his son “Baby Doc” took over, he was no different from his father. It was not until Jean Bertrand Aristide got elected as Haiti’s new president in 1990 that the citizens began to have some hope. A military coup d’etat forced Aristide to seek asylum in the US. He returned to Haiti with US and UN forces to finish his term and in 1995 Rene Preval won the election by landslide. This nation has been through their fare share of rulers and they just want some consistency. Just like any other country, Haiti has its constitution that enumerates full political and civil freedoms, liberties, and rights. But since 1990 when it held its free election, these freedoms, liberties, and rights remain on paper because of the lack of legitimate security force. At present, human rights quality in Haiti is very low as evidenced by the violent clashes between warring political parties, triggered by the demands for fair and honest elections are a common situation. Police brutality and executions without due process and trial are aplenty. The freedom of speech is made limited to and dependent of their speech laws. There is no such thing as labor rights. Existing unions are not strong enough to engage in collective bargaining agreements. Unionists who become aggressive are either imprisoned or killed during protests. The judicial system is corrupt, dysfunctional and inefficient, especially in rural areas. Like the courts, the Haitian jails are not big enough to place criminals. The largest prison, designed to accommodate no more than a thousand inmates routinely holds approximately two thousand inmates. It is estimated that 80% of prisoners are in pre-trial detention, barely a third of them have been held for more than a year. Due to the overcrowding and poor conditions, getting sent to prison in Haiti is usually considered a death sentence. Elections are held erratically while political parties are a mess. Parties usually give a main point for strengthening support around one person. Real power has always been concentrated on the nation's leader and a small elite population who uses a system to ensure that no coup will happen (3). Religion has been a very influential in the Haitian political arena. With a long history of dictatorship and poverty, the common people have relied on religion for assistance. There is no defined structure within the government; therefore, the nation will continue to suffer and perish in poverty. Cheap labor and exploitation of resources have been pointed to the foreign entities like the U.S. since it had supported Haiti's past dictators while showing hostility towards the present democratic leadership, and many huge American companies have vested interests in the country. Job creations must be given important and with a democratic government, that is not very impossible at all. Many labour intensive programs like street cleaning, tree planting, and erosion control processes can be staged. The World Bank and other international financial institutions can make Haiti their charity of choice so that more projects can create jobs for the idle and the poor Haitians. Although these aforementioned entities have already poured in almost a hundred million dollars in the economy of Haiti through construction projects, it seems that there is still a need to be filled. The government through some foreign aid has attempted to maintain four national parks in an attempt to save of what is left of the forests. Moreover, the United Nations and its related agencies have started to get more serious with their work on Haiti children and women. Education must be also put to priority because it will serve as a good way for Haitians to have an improved view at life. I feel that with proper and adequate education, people would know how to aspire for a better life and dream of a better Haiti. Today, Haiti ranks third after Somalia and Afghanistan as the hungriest country; the poorest nation in the West and the fourth in the world; has a life expectancy of 50 in the average for both genders. Underdevelopment and poverty are partly blamed on its literacy rate of 50% and unemployment rate of 70%. In fact, majority of Haitians survive with approximately a dollar a day (USD). Haiti is ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world yet many nations have stressed their refusal to help Haiti economically unless it would embrace democracy and straighten out their human rights environment. According to sociological studies and statistics, 95% of Haitians are black while the other 5% are either bi-racial (mixed black and white) or white. These 5% holds the bulk of the wealth of Haiti (4). Rural people tend to escape to the capital city to get some odd jobs, resulting in the overcrowding of slum areas and heightening the vulnerability of illnesses and diseases. Adverse effects of health and nutrition are plaguing the Haitian population. Today, HIV-AIDS is a major cause of death in the country where nine percent of the adult population is infected with the dreaded disease. The medical care of Haiti is challenged with a nation full of sick inhabitants. The World Health Organization reported in a study in 1991 that 10% of pregnant women are positive with the AIDS virus. The Haitian “boat people” in the Guantanamo Naval Base in 1993 were found to be HIV positive as well. Of the 179 migrants there, approximately 80% were HIV positive. There are still many unreported cases of HIV-AIDS in Haiti and it is estimated that the country could have more than half a million residents who have this disease. Tuberculosis is another common disease in Haiti, where 10% of the population has contracted. Syphilis, gonorrhea, viral hepatitis, typhoid fever, malaria, and acute diarrheal disease are endemic in the population. I feel that the majority of society would rather leave this country isolated because of poverty and diseases. Therefore, the country will always remain in a needy state. There is no viable medical infrastructure to provide care on a nationwide basis. The health care provided to people through the four-tier system (State University Hospital, regional hospital, community health center, and dispensary) is not effective. Ninety-five percent are Roman Catholics and still many of these people still practice Voodoo (witchcraft) as part of their African culture. Three-fourths of the people in Haiti are living in extreme poverty. Food is huge problem. In rural families, more than half of their members do not eat regularly while 1 out of 5 does have access to food at all. In urban families, a third is problematic about eating everyday while another third about getting to eat all. Before the 1991 coup d’état, unemployment rate was only 60 percent and 90% of the people survive with only US$100 annually. Haiti's wealth is found on the 5% of the whole population. The major concern of Haiti today is the lack of jobs which was worsened when an earthquake hit Port au Prince. It took a disaster to happen before the rest of the World felt the country needed help. The economy is struggling to provide the people with the basic needs like education, health, and infrastructure. The government relies on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability, with over half of its annual budget coming from outside sources. (1) Even with the foreign aids, Haiti is still in want for support from other foreign entities. This country will not rebound without consistentent assistance from the World. There is no regular military in Haiti since its Armed Forces (Army, Navy, and Air Force) were demobilized. However, it has a National Police organization that has highly trained SWAT team equipped with high calibre and modern weapons. It has also a Coast Guard that in-charge with security, search, and rescue operations. Its Police force is responsible for providing security and enforces the law in the country. There are about 8,500 policemen and attempts at increasing it to 14,000 is in the works. The crime rate is considerably high and will remain in that state until a military is established. Haiti is not that affected by threats posed by Cuba and other countries because of the influence of the Duvalier’s control that is still quite felt until today. Cuba aided Haiti refugees to reach Florida in the 1980s but the former did not make clear its real intention in doing so. With the ominous presence of the United States as well as the notoriety of Haiti’s crises, threats seem not to be too interested to add injury to this ailing country. However, the country had its dose of threats from the later part of the 1960s to 1970 when exiled Haitians threatened rebellions which the government successfully thwarted. In my opinion, Haiti seems to be free from external threats although the country is wary of their long misunderstanding with the Dominican Republic. The aforementioned statistics seem to over-impose the reality that Haiti has indeed so many problems for many years now. Media has distorted coverage of the real issue in the country. Media only covered a minimal or none at all of intense human rights violations during the dictatorships, while destroying the image of the only leader who was elected democratically. Since 1804 when it gained independence from France after a slave rebellion, Haiti has been continuously poor, violent, and unstable. The country needs help in all aspects. The unsettling political environment and the sagging economy (that has never risen) have been fired up by the United States embargo since 1991 (2). It is known to have put Haiti to a more sorry state of disarray. In its capital city, electricity is only produced ten hours a day, undrinkable water available an hour a day, garbage collection erratic, and transportation almost impossible with the undisciplined and chaotic commuters. Roads even in cities are like the moon, with craters every few meters; thus transportation suffers from damaged tires and suspensions. Health problems are prevalent as malnutrition is a common sight. Deaths of children are blamed on the poor sanitation, wrong diet, lack of medical service and pharmaceutical products. The United States occupied Haiti for almost two decades and today, they have bilateral relations that allow both countries to do business and agree on some ventures. With the geographical location of Haiti that if not protected would pose a threat to the Caribbean and Latin America, the US believe that it is strategically important to create some good relationship with Haiti. Moreover, the US is helping Haiti with its economy by providing some business opportunities. The US also aids Haiti in fighting its drug trafficking problem and continues to lend a hand to help the latter regain balance which was evidenced after the devastating earthquake that hit Port au Prince in January 2010. This country can rebound but it will require assistance and aid from the World.

Bibliography

1. Fass, Simon M. (1990) Review of Political Economy of Haiti: the Drama of Survival The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. P.148-149.

2. Beardslee, W.Q. (1996) The United States' Haiti Intervention: The Dangers of "redefined" National Security Interests."Denver Journal of International Law and Policy. P.189-197.

3. Johnson, James W. (2009) Self-determining Haiti. New York, NY: Nation Associates, http://www.thenation.com/article/self-determining-haiti

4. Anonymous (2011) Haiti. CIA World Fact Book. 19 Nov 2011. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html

5. Anonymous (2011) Haiti. U.S. Department of State. 17 Nov 2011.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1982.htm