La Perle des Antilles to Haiti’s President’s Assassination

From the world’s richest colony to poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti’s situation of several years marked by political unrest & violence is likely to plunge the impoverished Caribbean nation into further turmoil after President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination.

The president of Haiti was assassinated in his private residence by a group of armed men following his term in office marked by an increase in political instability, allegations of corruption and a long-running dispute over his term’s end in Feb, this year. Many believed, Moïse was running the office unconstitutionally.

In recent months, the streets of Haiti had become clogged with angry protests demanding the removal of Moïse. He had clung to power and had since ruled by decree after parliament was left without lawmakers – violating the country’s 1987 constitution, several constitutional scholars and legal experts contended. Although Moïse and his supporters rejected the argument, saying he only took power in 2017 after re-running and winning the election.

A walk down the lane of Haiti’s rich history:

Before Haiti revolted against French colonization in 1804, Haiti ranked as the world’s richest and most productive colony. Haiti’s early history is characterized by remarkable economic output.

During the Haitian Revolution, Saint Domingue, the island that now hosts two countries – the Dominican Republic and Haiti, had become the most lucrative colony on earth.  It was the world’s top producer of sugar and coffee and among the global leaders in indigo, cacao and cotton. Indeed, Saint Domingue, occupying only a small territory, out produced the entire Spanish empire in America.

One in eight people in France derived their living from the enormous trade joining France with this small and distant place, 4800 nautical miles away. The reasons for this extraordinary performance can be explained from a number of factors including qualities of land and climate, government support, and more than anything, the presence of a huge number of enslaved Africans who propelled this extensive economic system with their labour.

How did Haiti become poor?

According to a 2014 study, the Haitian economy stagnated due to a combination of weak state power and adverse international relations. “For the new-born ‘Negro republic’, it was hard to become recognised as a sovereign nation state, it was difficult to form strategic alliances, to get access to foreign loans, and to safeguard trade interests, and it was overloaded with debt under threat of external violence (the French indemnity). Self-chosen isolation, for instance by prohibiting foreign landownership, further reduced the choice set of successive Haitian administrations. When opportunities for export-led growth opened up in the late 19th century, the odds were stacked against Haiti.”

Haiti won its independence after a long revolution that destroyed a lot of the country. They were then required to pay a large indemnity to France or else many countries—including the United States—refused to acknowledge Haiti for fear that it would encourage an American slave revolt. More recently, both Haiti and the Dominican Republic were occupied by the United States, but Haiti was occupied for much longer. By the time the U.S. pulled out in 1934, Haiti’s own institutions had atrophied.

The downfall has been such that Haiti is now the poorest country in North America with a per capita GDP of $671. Haiti is experiencing rapid population growth, which is happening faster than the country can keep up to provide for its current population as is. In January 2010, Haiti was hit with a devastating earthquake, the biggest natural disaster in the country’s history. Haiti has had a long history of slavery, revolution, deforestation, corruption, debt, and violence – all factors that have led to its lack of infrastructure, political instability, and poverty.