Why
The US Owes Haiti Billions – The Briefest History
20 January 2010By Bill Quigley
Why does the US owe Haiti Billions? Colin Powell,
former US Secretary of State, stated his foreign
policy view as the “Pottery Barn rule.” That is – “if
you break it, you own it.”
The US has worked to break Haiti for over 200 years.
We owe Haiti. Not charity. We owe Haiti as a
matter of justice. Reparations. And not the $100
million promised by President Obama either – that is
Powerball money. The US owes Haiti Billions – with a
big B.
The US has worked for centuries to break Haiti. The US
has used Haiti like a plantation. The US helped bleed
the country economically since it freed itself,
repeatedly invaded the country militarily, supported
dictators who abused the people, used the country as a
dumping ground for our own economic advantage, ruined
their roads and agriculture, and toppled popularly
elected officials. The US has even used Haiti like the
old plantation owner and slipped over there repeatedly
for sexual recreation.
Here is the briefest history of some of the major US
efforts to break Haiti.
In 1804, when Haiti achieved its freedom from France
in the world’s first successful slave revolution, the
United States refused to recognize the country. The US
continued to refuse recognition to Haiti for 60 more
years. Why? Because the US continued to enslave
millions of its own citizens and feared recognizing
Haiti would encourage slave revolution in the US.
After the 1804 revolution, Haiti was the subject of a
crippling economic embargo by France and the US. US
sanctions lasted until 1863. France ultimately used
its military power to force Haiti to pay reparations
for the slaves who were freed. The reparations were
150 million francs. (France sold the entire Louisiana
territory to the US for 80 million francs!)
Haiti was forced to borrow money from banks in France
and the US to pay reparations to France. A major loan
from the US to pay off the French was finally paid off
in 1947. The current value of the money Haiti was
forced to pay to French and US banks? Over $20 Billion
– with a big B.
The US occupied and ruled Haiti by force from 1915 to
1934. President Woodrow Wilson sent
troops to invade in 1915. Revolts by Haitians were put
down by US military – killing over 2000 in one
skirmish alone. For the next nineteen years, the US
controlled customs in Haiti, collected taxes, and ran
many governmental institutions. How many billions were
siphoned off by the US during these 19 years?
From 1957 to 1986 Haiti was forced to live under US
backed dictators “Papa Doc” and “Baby Doc” Duvlaier.
The US supported these dictators economically and
militarily because they did what the US wanted and
were politically “anti-communist” - now translatable
as against human rights for their people. Duvalier
stole millions from Haiti and ran up hundreds of
millions in debt that Haiti still owes. Ten thousand
Haitians lost their lives. Estimates say that Haiti
owes $1.3 billion in external debt and that 40% of
that debt was run up by the US-backed Duvaliers.
Thirty years ago Haiti imported no rice. Today Haiti
imports nearly all its rice. Though Haiti was the
sugar growing capital of the Caribbean, it now imports
sugar as well. Why? The US and the US dominated world
financial institutions – the International Monetary
Fund and the World Bank – forced Haiti to open its
markets to the world. Then the US dumped millions of
tons of US subsidized rice and sugar into Haiti –
undercutting their farmers and ruining Haitian
agriculture. By ruining Haitian agriculture, the US
has forced Haiti into becoming the third largest world
market for US rice. Good for US farmers, bad for
Haiti.
In 2002, the US stopped hundreds of millions of
dollars in loans to Haiti which were to be used for,
among other public projects like education, roads.
These are the same roads which relief teams are having
so much trouble navigating now!
In 2004, the US again destroyed democracy in Haiti
when they supported the coup against Haiti’s elected
President Aristide.
Haiti is even used for sexual recreation just like the
old time plantations. Check the news carefully and you
will find numerous stories of abuse of minors by
missionaries, soldiers and charity workers. Plus there
are the frequent sexual vacations taken to Haiti by
people from the US and elsewhere. What is owed for
that? What value would you put on it if it was your
sisters and brothers?
US based corporations have for years been teaming up
with Haitian elite to run sweatshops teeming with tens
of thousands of Haitians who earn less than $2 a day.
The Haitian people have resisted the economic and
military power of the US and others ever since their
independence. Like all of us, Haitians made their own
mistakes as well. But US power has forced Haitians to
pay great prices – deaths, debt and abuse.
It is time for the people of the US to join with
Haitians and reverse the course of US-Haitian
relations.
This brief history shows why the US owes Haiti
Billions – with a big B. This is not charity. This is
justice. This is reparations. The current crisis is an
opportunity for people in the US to own up to our
country’s history of dominating Haiti and to make a
truly just response.
(For more on the history of exploitation of
Haiti by the US see: Paul Farmer, THE USES OF HAITI;
Peter Hallward, DAMNING THE FLOOD; and Randall
Robinson, AN UNBROKEN AGONY).
Bill is Legal Director for the Center for
Constitutional Rights and a long-time Haiti human
rights advocate.
Quigley77@gmail.com
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