Politics and the economy in Haiti

Politics and the Economy in Haiti

History of Haiti

Officially known as the Republic of Haiti, the Caribbean country is characterized by a long and tormented history. It all started in 1492, when the island was discovered by Christopher Columbus. By that time, the land had been inhibited by a population of Tainos (men of the good); all people here were recognized for their kindness, but the Tainos occupying what is today Haiti were the most developed ones, having managed to create a flourishing civilization even before Columbus discovered them (Discover Haiti).

With the discovery of 1492, the entire Hispaniola was passed on to the control of Spain. Two centuries after that, the French battled the Spanish for occupation of the island and the dispute was settled through the signing of the Treaty of Ryswick, which divided the island into two sections, one controlled by the French and one controlled by the Spanish. The French occupation was extremely tough for the aboriginals. The island had become France's main provider of sugar, rum, wood, cotton and coffee and an estimated 500,000 were enslaved. The native population, as well as the African slaves that had been "imported" to the island, rebelled against the French occupants. Some of them took drastic measures, such as poisoning their masters, killing their own children in order to save them from the tragic life of living in slavery or participated in mass suicides (Discover Haiti).

In 1791, a war for liberation commenced. It lasted for 13 years and while the main enemy was Napoleon's army, victory was delayed by the intervention of the Spanish and the British forces, which supported France. Nevertheless, the people managed to defeat slavery and colonialism, and, in 1804, Haiti emerged as the first black independent republic in the world. Peace was not however lasting, as internal conflicts aroused in 1807. In the aftermath of the emperor's death, the country was divided into two republics, one led by Henry Christophe and the other led by Alexandre Petion. Witnessing social turmoil and betrayed by his own men, Christophe committed suicide and was replaced by Jean-Pierre Boyer. Boyer also assumed command of the southern part of Haiti, upon the death of Petion. This course of events allowed Boyer to unite the two parts and form a single country; he took control of the entire island and defeated all Spanish still demanding occupation.

The following years were challenging as the international community did not recognize the independence of Haiti. This situation was pegged to fears of other colonies following the Haitian example; nevertheless, the United States of America recognized Haiti as an independent state in 1862. Five decades later however, the U.S. would become the invader and its occupation would last for 19 years. The U.S. had formed the Army of Haiti, with the stated desire for it to maintain peace and stability. For the years to come, who ever controlled the army controlled the country (Discover Haiti).

In the following years, the country's history has been characterized by conflicts with the Dominican Republic or the presidency of corrupted Francois Duvalier, who killed or exiled tens of thousands of Haitians. Upon his death, the role of state leader was assumed by Duvalier's son, but the population grew unsettled with the oppression to which it was subjected. "Baby-Duvalier" left the country and the presidential position went to a series of individuals with short-lived presidential careers. The civil conflicts continue through today, but they are no longer focused solely on human rights, but also on economic policies (Embassy of Haiti at Washington DC, 2009).

2. Politics of Haiti

Similar to the country's history, the political climate is a turbulent one, in which the power falls in the hands of the few, who do not always act in favor of the masses. One would generically expect for the country's political system to be advanced, given its status of the first black republic to declare its independence. Yet, along the years, the Haitian political system fell behind the development of other countries. The main determinants of the situation are argued to be the model of authoritarian rule implemented by successive leaders, the lack of well-developed governmental institutions or the sustained military occupations (Haggerty, 1989). Some improvements have however been made after the election of Rene Preval, such a reduction in corruption. Nevertheless, its intensity remains increased and present at all national level, including the armed forces.

From a governmental standpoint, Haiti is currently divided into ten administrative divisions, generally referred to as departments -- Artibonite, Centre, Grand Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Oest, Oest, Sud and Sud-Est. The legal system is based on the Roman civil law and has accepted the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice. The country's constitution was first enforced in 1987, but has since been the target of various coups, which managed to rule it out. It was however reinforced starting with May 2006, in the same month Rene Preval was elected President.

Elections are held every five years and the president is selected based on popular vote; Preval was instated in the highest position after having convinced no more than 51% of the electorate to vote for him. Alongside with the Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and the cabinet selected by the two, they form the Haitian executive branch. The legislative branch is formed from the bicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale), which is itself formed from the Senate, with 30 members, and the Chamber of Deputies, with 99 members. While all members of the legislative branch are selected by popular vote, their mandates vary -- the members of the Chamber of Deputies are all selected for six years; the most popular senator in a department serves six years; the second favorite senator serves four years and the third most popular senatorial candidate serves two years (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009).

In spite of this apparent well structured political system, the country continues to struggle. Civil rebellions still occur and the leaders crush them through military intervention. In April 2008 for instance, 5 people were killed in capital Port-au-Prince and several other were wounded by gunfire, as they tried to invade the national palace; this incident was not an isolated one. President Preval is currently struggling with both the civil turmoil as well as the internationalized economic crisis, which has generated tremendous impacts upon the country. The population now finds in the crisis, and its effects of increase prices for foods, a new reason to condemn the political regime. This virtually means that the political progresses made by the Preval administration (generally materialized in reduced violent interactions and sustained partnerships with international institutions for human rights and economic development) could easily be lost in the current context. While the true impact of the crisis on the country's political stability cannot be entirely measured, it is true that "the effects of a global food shortage in a country already suffering from a profound structural crisis could seriously undermine all the achievements made to date by Minustah and the international community" (Gauthier, 2008).

3. Economy of Haiti

On the list of 266 global economies, Haiti is found at the 145th position, with a gross domestic product of $11.53, revealing sustained growth trends since 2005. The income per capita of Haitian is of $1,300, placing as such the country on the 203rd position. Similar to the global situation, the trend in Haiti is that of an increased revenue from the services sector, in the detriment of agriculture. As such, 52% of the national output is generated by services, followed by 28% from agriculture and 20% from industry. Despite the increase in services however, most of the Haitians rely on agricultural operations to provide both jobs as well as food stability. 66% of the entire Haitian labor force is employed in the agricultural field; 25% work in the services sector and only 9% work in industry (Central Intelligence Agency).

The items offered by the agricultural sector refer primarily to coffee and cocoa beans, mangoes, rice, corn, sugar, sorghum, pulses and some other vegetables and fruit. This virtually means that the country cannot ensure food sufficiency on these items, but have to exchange them within the international marketplace. The industrial sector generally produces apparel, electronics components, furniture, foods, steel, chemicals, beverages and tobacco products. The services segment retrieves its revenues from tourism and hospitality activities, commerce and government related activities (Travel Document Systems, 2009).

Haiti's exports account for a total of $490 million, placing the country on the 163rd position. Export commodities include apparel and manufactures, alongside with cocoa beans, oils and coffee beans. The large majority of the products go to the United States of America (70%), most of the rest being destined for the Dominican Republic and Canada. Imports account for $2.107 billion, making Haiti the 147th largest importer. Foreign products mostly bought by Haitians include foods and manufactured items, alongside with machinery, fuels, transport equipments or raw materials. The main sources of these imported items are constituted by the United States, the Dominican Republic, Netherlands Antilles and China, with their adjacent percentages of 34, 23.1, 10.6, respectively 4.5.