The crisis in Haiti: multidimensional analysis of its causes, consequences and future perspectives.

Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, has been mired in a deep, multifaceted and multidimensional crisis for decades, aggravated since the social outbreak of February 2019, which has become what many today describe - and not without reason - as a failed state. In other words, the Haitian crisis is not only political, but is a complex and systemic phenomenon that results from a combination of political, economic, social and even historical factors. Thus, in the following lines we will attempt to succinctly examine the underlying causes of the crisis in Haiti, its characteristics and consequences for the population and the country in general, as well as the possible solutions to mitigate the effects of this crisis. Historical and political causes On a historical and political level, the situation in Haiti is particular and even ironic. Haiti was the first country in Latin America to gain independence in 1804, after a slave-led revolution against French colonial rule, and was even, momentarily, the richest colony in the Americas. However, over time, independence did not bring the stability or prosperity that would have been expected. Instead, the country faced decades of debt, dictatorships, corruption, and direct and indirect US intervention for a period of almost 80 years. During the 20th century, the dictatorships of François Duvalier “Papa Doc” and his son Jean-Claude Duvalier “Baby Doc”, both supported by the United States, contributed significantly to deepening this stability. These dictatorships were characterized by brutal repression, systematic and widespread corruption, and an economy that favored a small elite to the detriment of the broad majorities (Dubois, 2012). This 30-year period ended with a coup d'état that began a period that, although democratic, was characterized by a succession of failed governments that, in many cases, lasted just months. The impact of these authoritarian regimes left the country in a situation of institutional weakness and permanent educational, cultural and economic poverty. Thus, this institutional weakness was reflected in practically all governments, being the case, for example, of Jean-Bertrand Aristide who was president of Haiti up to 4 times (all interrupted by force) and for periods ranging from 8 months. up to 3 years, possibly its worst period being the last one, which, although it was the longest in duration (from 2001 to the beginning of 2004) marked the beginning of the strengthening of the armed opposition groups (due to the political turn to the left by Aristide). Since then, Haiti has experienced chronic instability, with frequent changes of government, endemic corruption, weak government infrastructure (Farmer, 2017) and absolute lack of control in the streets that led to the most recent political crisis that the country is going through, initiated 2019 (two years before the assassination of former president Jovenel Moïse by Colombian and American mercenaries) and which continues to this day. References: Dubois, L. (2012). Haiti: The Aftershocks of History. Metropolitan Books. Farmer, P. (2017). Haiti After the Earthquake. PublicAffairs.

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