Haiti

Haiti is located in the Caribbean, on the island of Hispaniola. It has a population of approximately 7 million, of whom 99 percent are descendants of African slaves. Its capital is Port-au-Prince. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere and has long been plagued by political violence.

Haiti was colonized by the French in the late seventeenth century. The French established valuable sugar plantations on the island using slave labor. In 1804, a slave uprising led to Haiti’s independence. Since then its history has been characterized by political turmoil and endemic poverty. The election of François (Papa Doc) Duvalier in 1957 led to the creation of a harsh dictatorship. Duvalier helped to destroy what little economic or political promise Haiti might have had. Upon his death in 1971,rift gold his son Jean Claude (Baby Doc) Duvalier took over the country. Like his father, he ruled by violence and intimidation. In 1986, public protests against Duvalier’s rule forced him to flee the country. A series of military leaders ruled the country until, under international pressure, the government allowed free elections for a new president. Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a leftleaning Catholic priest, won those elections in 1990, but was overthrown by a military coup in 1991. Haiti descended into further chaos until 1994 when American troops landed and forced the Haitian army to accept Aristide as president. Backed by a United Nations presence, Aristide ruled until 1996. After Duvalier’s death, a period of political chaos ensued, which was ended by United Nations (UN) intervention in 1994. A constitution was drafted in 1997,rift gold but it has yet to be ratified and Haiti remains an unstable nation without strong democratic roots. Shortly after the military was disbanded in January 1995, the Haitian government created the Haitian National Police (HNP) to provide order and stability. The UN maintained a police mission in Haiti (called MIPONUH), which advised and trained the HNP, but it withdrew from the country in March 2000. Under the guidance of the UN, the HNP has gained valuable experience, but it still is weak, corrupt, and prone to human rights violations. Aristede was elected president again in 2000. Originally viewed as a human rights defender, he has been accused of using force to maintain his influence over the country.