�鶹ӰԺ

“When Haiti is more prosperous, secure, and firmly rooted in democracy, Haitians and Americans benefit” (“Haiti,” n.d.). Right now, Haiti is not prosperous, secure, or firmly rooted in democracy. Besieged by gangs, with 1 million starving and killings on the rise, Haiti’s demise appears to be in full effect. The crisis is surely one they cannot tackle alone, prompting the U.S. government to publish its 2022 plan to aid the struggling state. The U.S., however, has a history of intervening in the Caribbean nation–a rather troubling one, traditionally driven by economic interests. Therefore, they must carry out this plan with the needs and interests of the Haitian people at the forefront, not the greed that has long guided these actions.

The Pursuit of Statehood

In the 1600s, Haiti (Saint-Domingue as it was formerly called) was established as a colony of the French, where its lucrative sugar and coffee resources were exploited through the brutal use of slave labor. This triggered a series of slave revolts, demanding an end to these ��human rights abuses. Concerned about the implications of these revolts on the survival of American slavery, Thomas Jefferson and other U.S. politicians favored sending resources to suppress the uprisings and endorsed policies that would isolate Haiti. Despite Toussaint L’ouverture and the revolutionaries' success and achievement of independence, they still did not attain complete sovereignty. Haiti wasn’t recognized as independent by the French until 1825 when they agreed to pay around 21 billion dollars in reparations for the revolution, launching the young nation into extreme debt. Further, the U.S. did not recognize Haiti as sovereign until 1862 due to the fears that it would influence abolition movements through the spread of revolutionary ideals, making it hard for Haiti to establish itself in the international arena (Gamio et al., 2022).

The U.S. Occupation

Perhaps the most devastating of the U.S.’s actions towards Haiti came in 1915 when president Woodrow Wilson dispatched marines to the island. The supposed goal was to restore stability, but the looming threat of German influence on the Caribbean following WWI coupled with the U.S.’s expansionist desires undoubtedly ignited the U.S. occupation (Scherr, 2019). The assassination of leader Vilbrun Guillaume Sam, which occurred just hours before the U.S. sent troops, only increased Haiti’s vulnerability to foreign manipulation. Under the guise of a humanitarian mission, the U.S. deployed hundreds of marines to Port-au-Prince. During the 19 year long occupation, the United States established control over the Haitian economy, siphoning $500,000 from the Haitian national bank (Suggs, 2021). Additionally, they enforced racial segregation and violently vanquished rebellions against them, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Haitians (Crawford-Roberts, n.d.). They claimed to benefit the region by bringing doctors equipped with advanced medical knowledge that could protect Haitians. Not just Haitians though- Americans with business happenings in the caribbean. Any of the positives the U.S. planned to do for Haiti were tinged by their imperialist desires for hegemony in the region ��(Scherr, 2019) . And not all of their harm was covert; marines outwardly abused innocent civilians. They were defenseless against the brutality and repression of the American marines who shot at and stole from them. They made attempts to cover their cruelty through the enforcement of harsh censorship codes, but ultimately their brutality was revealed. Nearly 2 decades later, U.S. troops were finally withdrawn, but the impacts of their presence lingered on. The infrastructure built under U.S. supervision and constructed by forced labor and the Haitian’s own wealth was used for the production of goods meant to benefit the U.S. ��(Suggs, 2021). The leave of the marines did not mean the end of their means of violent repression as Haitian leaders also inherited these methods to suppress dissidents, contributing to generational modes of terror.

The Election of Aristide - A Step Towards Democracy?

Nearly 70 years later, the U.S. still maintained influence in Haiti. “American leadership and the perseverance of the Haitian people has helped restore democracy to Haiti and provided concrete hope for a better future” boasted the White House under the Clinton administration in 1996 (“Fact Sheet on Haiti the Road From Dictatorship to Democracy”, 1996). In 1990, the first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was voted into power. With both the UN and the Organization of American States deeming the election free and fair, optimism increased for a nation that had previously witnessed the removal and assassination of multiple leaders. However, Aristide’s tenure ended as quickly as it started as he was ousted mere months later. The end of his term also sparked controversy with regard to the U.S.’s involvement. As the Haitian opposition closed in on the president, the U.S. claimed members of the marine corps stationed themselves at the president’s palace in an attempt to protect Aristide during the coup. Aristide tells a different story, explaining that U.S. forces removed him from office through threats that he and other Haitian citizens would be killed for his noncompliance. Former secretary of State Colin Powell and other American politicians denied these claims, asserting that Aristide willingly exited the country. Powell also added that Aristide had decided upon his resignation during a telephone call with the U.S. ambassador to Haiti just days before. The communications minister for the Central African Republic, where Aristide sought refuge, backed the U.S.’s explanation as well. While many call Aristide’s accusations completely false, some, like former Representative Maxine Waters, believe his claims aren’t completely baseless considering the U.S. had reasons to resent Aristide. For one, Aristide wanted to raise the minimum wage for Haitian workers sewing American clothes, which would raise prices for American businesses ��(“CNN.Com - Aristide Says U.S. Deposed Him in ‘coup d’etat’ - Mar. 1, 2004”, 2004).. It is not completely clear the Clinton Administration's role in the coup d’etat, but it is clear that the coup had brutal effects on the country.

Operation Uphold Democracy

Three years later, with the goal of ending Haiti’s three years of chaos post-coup under a military junta, President Clinton launched Operation Uphold Democracy. Rape and murder were rampant in the nation, compelling Clinton to launch the initiative and “restore democratic government in Haiti.”. The U.S. first attempted negotiations with the military junta. However, when that didn’t work, 25,000 troops were sent and Aristide was forcibly reinstated as president.

With no American casualties, the U.S. government and Clinton Administration regarded the operation a victory, but the operation’s true motives, means, and lasting impact say otherwise. In order to undergo the operation, the CIA sought the help of Emmanuel Constant who worked under Francois Duvalier’s repressive regime as well as with the military junta that removed Aristide. Additionally, Constant had founded the Front Révolutionnaire pour l'Avancement et le Progrès Haïtien (FRAPH) which had a violent history. Constant had built himself a notorious reputation through countless human rights abuses including a fire in Cité Soleil where 36 died. While working with the U.S., he also orchestrated the broadcasted assault of Stanley Schrager on the dock of where the USS Harlan County filled with U.N. workers coming to help Aristide’s reinstallment was supposed to land. Clinton expressed his embarrassment about the spectacle, but the CIA did not make any adjustments to their relationship with Constant. When asked if he was reprimanded by the CIA after the fact, Constant said he only picked up “more political clout” and remained on the CIA payroll where he was rewarded with 700 dollars a month (Girard, 2002).

Not only was the means of the operation unethical, its lasting impact arguably did more harm than good for Haiti. In order to reclaim his presidential position, Aristide had to sign onto the World Bank and IMF’s structural adjustment program. The U.S., IMF, World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank composed their own economic proposal for Haiti which prioritized free trade and private enterprise. Aristide pushed back at these “reforms” threatening anyone who “dares [to] sell the state's possessions on behalf of privatization”. For years after the operation, Haiti experienced extreme political instability which discouraged investors and hurt the tourism industry. Further, the international community preyed on this instability, using it as a means to fulfill their own economic endeavors. They requested that a number of companies be privatized in order for foreign aid to be sent (Girard, 2004). So if “Operation Uphold Democracy”’s goal was to uphold or restore democracy, then the operation was, in fact, not a success. If the goal was for economic gains and for the Clinton administration to mobilize more voters in their favor, as many suspect it was, then the operation was surely effective in that respect.

Haiti’s Current Condition

Now, Haiti is experiencing yet more unrest, a “cataclysmic situation” as the UN puts it. Hospitals, police stations, and the airport have been shut down by gangs, causing Ariel Henry, the country’s prime minister, to step down. The Haitian police force is small and weak against the gangs. Since Haiti doesn’t manufacture weapons, gangs are using guns smuggled from America to wreak their havoc (Adams, 2024). During President Trump’s term, he set out to restrict the flow of Haitian asylum seekers. President Biden, who had promised to reverse this, has continued to turn masses of immigrants back (Ainsley, 2024).

The Second Trump Administration

President Trump has begun his second term with extensive layoffs of federal workers, including those employed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Workers essential to humanitarian efforts in Haiti, like vaccinators and midwives, were fired (Bhalla et al., 2025). Programs essential to the Haitian people like Action Against Hunger, a program that educates Haitians on nutrition, were shut down (Konyndyk, 2025) in the name of cutting costs and ridding the federal government of “radical left lunatics.”

American foreign policy towards Haiti has historically been tainted by the selfish desires to advance the economy and U.S. influence. The U.S.’s troubling history with intervention in Haiti emphasizes the need for a new approach- a selfless one guided by the desire to protect humans rather than one motivated by power and economic or political leverage.

��

References

“25 Years After ‘Operation Uphold Democracy,’ Experts Say the Oft-Forgotten U.S. Military Intervention Still Shapes Life in Haiti.” 2019. TIME. September 20, 2019.

Adams, David C. 2024. “‘Cataclysmic Situation’ in Haiti Leaves 1,500 Dead in Gang Violence.” The New York Times, March 28, 2024, sec. World.

Ainsley, Julia. 2024. “Biden Admin Has No Plans to Change How It Treats Haitian Migrants despite Anger from Advocates.” NBC News. March 27, 2024.

Bhalla, N., Adebayo, B., Rohullah Talaash, & Delva, J. G. (2025, February 28). “Total panic” as USAID cuts jobs from Syria to Haiti. Context.news; Context.

“CNN.Com - Aristide Says U.S. Deposed Him in ‘coup d’etat’ - Mar. 1, 2004.” 2004. March 1, 2004.

Crawford-Roberts, Ann. n.d. “A History of United States Policy Towards Haiti | Modern Latin America.” Accessed May 14, 2024.

“FACT SHEET ON HAITI ��THE ROAD FROM DICTATORSHIP TO DEMOCRACY.” 1996. The White House. March 21, 1996.

Gamio, Lazaro, Constant Méheut, Catherine Porter, Selam Gebrekidan, Allison McCann, and Matt Apuzzo. 2022. “Haiti’s Lost Billions.” The New York Times, May 20, 2022, sec. World.

Girard, Philippe R. 2002. “Operation Restore Democracy?” Journal of Haitian Studies 8 (2): 70–85.

Girard, Philippe R. 2004. “Peacekeeping, Politics, and the 1994 US Intervention in Haiti.” Journal of Conflict Studies 24 (1).

“Haiti.” n.d. United States Department of State (blog). Accessed May 14, 2024.

Konyndyk, J. (2025, February 21). Opinion | “We Are Seeing Complete Destruction”: The Damage Done by the U.S.A.I.D. Freeze. The New York Times.

Mérancourt, Widlore, Amanda Coletta, and John Hudson. 2024. “The U.S. Has Tried to ‘Fix’ Haiti before. How Will This Time Be Different?” Washington Post, March 17, 2024.

Scherr, Cooper. 2019. “Medicine Infected by Politics: The American Occupation of Medicine Infected by Politics: The American Occupation of Haiti,1915-1934 .” Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II Journal of History, Series II 24:31.

Suggs, David. 2021. “The Long Legacy of the U.S. Occupation of Haiti.” Washington Post, August 10, 2021. ��