The Uses of Haiti by Paul Farmer

The book has two fowards, one by Kozol and another by Chomsky. Basically they say that this book will challenge the accepted lies (11.). Haiti is described as the world's oldest black republic (11). A former priest, Jean Bertrand Aristride, was elected in 1990 and overthrown in September 1991 with the help of the USA. Apparently Aristide made it clear that he was not about to be a servile viceroy to US interests. The USA imposed an embargo, a form of economic blackmail, on the Haitians of 500 million. Economic funds had been channelled from the US to Haiti during the occupation starting under Wilson from 1915-1934. After that, the Papa and Baby Doc Duvalier dictatorship lasted from 1957-1986 (52).

Hispanolia, modern Haiti and Domican Republic, was regarded as a paradise. Today it is the very symbol of despair (17). Originally a Spanish colony, the French took over. In 1796 the slaves fomented against french rule and Toussaint Louverture took over (61). What the slaves had done in Haiti, made a lot of slave owners in U.S. very nervous. (64). Outside of Haiti, there was no other case of a slave nation rising up from within and overthrowing a colonial empire. It was both the earliest example of this and is still a shocking historical case. The U.S. refused to recogonize Haiti as a nation and refused diplomacy. In 1844 the Domican Republic declares independence from Haiti (69). The Marines invaded under Wilson in 1915. By the time they left Haiti was saddled with a 40 million dollar debt (89). Under the US occupation, North American companies either bought or leased an estimated 300,000 acres of land, getting into business with bananas, rubber, sugar, sisal and a number of other resources (82). Papa Doc Duvalier took over in the 1950's and like many other leaders, protected himself under anti-communist hysteria. He made communism illegal and any associations with it, punishible to the point of death in his Articles 1 and 2 (94). USAID during this time was directed in a way to turn Haiti into the Taiwan of the Carribean (21).