Haiti Adjustment Report

The economics of Haiti has deceased in the last 4 years after the devastating earthquake that struck it 4 years ago. The Haiti economy has become very poor and one of the poorest country in the south, Central America and Caribbean region making it ranked 24 out of 29 countries in this area and its overall score is below average. Haiti’s economic freedom is 48.1 making it economy the 151st freest country while in the last several years Declines in the management of government spending, freedom from corruption, and labor freedom make its overall score 2.6 points lower than last year. Recovering from the disastrous earthquake in 2010 with the support of the U.S. recovering efforts “Haiti’s post-earthquake reconstruction efforts continue,

In the Caribbean Sea, located south of the Gulf of Mexico, lies the 149th largest nation in the world, The Republic of Haiti. Since its discovery in 1492, Haiti has experienced a multitude of dictators and inconceivable political and economic turmoil lasting intermittently, over the last 300 years. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the nation of Haiti, its politics and social relations, its economics and resources, and lastly the United States’ interests in regards to the Nation.

Many countries in the world have a unique history when it comes to the general health of their economies, governments, and society however not all countries are able to thrive and make advancements as well as others. Haiti has gone through the good, and the very bad. The unfortunate outcome for Haiti has been plagued by poor leadership, civil unrest, and the idea that human trafficking and slavery is still acceptable in today’s society. The main focal points which need to be examined to fully understand what the culture is all about are, the government leadership, the economy as a whole unit, and the contradiction of freedom from their past history.

The French and their slaves populated the island of Haiti during the 18th century. In the late 1700’s, the slaves revolted against the French and began a thirteen-year war for their freedom. This war began the significant problems for Haiti. Today, Haiti suffers from malnutrition, low standards of living, and poor literacy, which Haiti still faces today.

The haitian people ever since the haitian revolution has been the beacon of hope for the people of the Caribbean, they led the first successful revolution to completely free themselves from European rule under the French in 1804. As a result of their victory many european nations I guess you can say as a form of retribution  placed economic sanctions on the little island and forced the haitian people to pay France reparations for the losses accrued during the Haitian Revolution. Haiti once the beacon of hope and the wealthiest nation in the Caribbean had now become the poorest country in western hemisphere.

Unlike most of Latin America, Haiti’s main colonizing power was France, not Spain or Portugal, after France was given one-third of Hispaniola. To this day you can see the lasting effects of colonialism in Haiti especially in comparison to the Dominican Republic which shares the same island. While Haiti, formerly Saint Domingue under French control, was at one time the world’s wealthiest sugar and coffee producer, the tides have changed in terms of Haiti’s economy and it is now one of the worst off in terms of measurement of GDP per capita and income inequality. This change largely took place after the Haitian revolution, which transformed Haiti’s economy to a rural subsistence economy, instead of the capital-intensive plantation economy it had been. As other states, including neighboring DR, developed competitive commodity industries, Haiti never jumped on that export-led growth path and there was overall less investment making its way to Haiti in comparison to other states in the region. Also, Haiti was not a part of the “Golden Age” period of Latin America from 1950-1973. With a brief understanding of Haiti’s background, a more solid understanding of their economic performance, challenges, assets and current conditions can be developed further.

The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster is an inside look into the realities behind international aid and intervention. The book answers the question of whether or not international efforts in Haiti really benefited the nation in the long term. The book argues that the international community failed in their efforts to rebuild Haiti due to their mismatched military approaches, failed monetary pledges and how the how billions of dollars were ineffective, having served only short term needs instead of, rebuilding solid foundations and institutions that would serve as the first step toward sustainable development.

The country that I chose to research for my paper is Haiti. Haiti is located in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Haiti's located on the Island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. The capital of Haiti is Port-au-Prince, and the population is 9,996,731. Haiti is made up of two official languages French and Haitian Creole. About 2.1 million people of the population live in Port-Au-Prince, which makes the capital an extremely congested city. (International Volunteers)

Haiti is described as the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Most people are not aware of Haiti's long history nor do they know the reasoning behind Haiti’s current state, when in fact, Haiti was once one of the richest countries in the western hemisphere. However, the international community has played a key role in continuously ensuring the destruction of Haiti's colonial wealth and creation and continuance of their suffering. “French colonialists brought hundreds of thousands of slaves from Africa, many of whom were literally worked to death. But in 1789, word of revolution in France made its way to the Caribbean colony” (Clemens, 2010).

Haiti is a prime example of how human needs in one area of the world are interdependent with social conditions elsewhere in the world. Haiti, for most of its history has been overwhelmed with economic

Haiti is one of the more indigent countries in the world; the country also holds a low economic status. Over time Haiti’s economy grew gradually at around 2.3

For the most part, the interaction between the colonizers of Haiti—the Spanish and the French—was negative, and lastingly so. Haiti has remained a turbulent and impoverished landscape. Social and economic indicators remain doggedly low, year after year. Haiti, although technically independent as of 1804, has never been able to support itself. There is a lot of heartfelt sympathy for Haiti, and the hope is that the legacy of colonization is not unending fate. But it will take a lot of work to get Haiti to a place of true freedom and independence, and sometimes outside help, however well intentioned, only unwittingly fuels the legacy.

Haiti was once the first black independent republic in the world and the richest island in the Caribbean. Today Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest countries in the world. What could have happened to Haiti in almost two hundred years of history? The country experienced repeated civil war and foreign intervention. Haiti is not isolated from the international world. Thus, it was not out of concern for ordinary Haitians that the United States intervened in Haiti. It was out of concern for profit and stability within the United States' own backyard. The purpose of this paper is to show the negative aspect that the United States had played in the government of Haiti.

Haiti Now was founded in 2010 by Alex Lizzappi. A successful Miami businessman today, Alex’s childhood was a very different story. His desire to help the Restavek children of Haiti is a reflection of his own life experiences and his understanding of how a child without a social network and social net worth can be left behind, regardless of their intelligence or potential.

One of the greatest challenges I had to face was my transition from Haiti to the United States. During that transition, I was faced with a lot of adversity. It varied from fitting in, academic struggles and remaining focus. Throughout all the trials and tribulations that came with it, I was able to be resilient. In my own words, to be resilient is to allow challenges to impact me in a positive way where at the end I can say I am an overcomer.