US and Haiti Relations Essay

Haiti had been of interest to the US government decades even before the landing of the US in 1995. This is because of Haiti's strategic location which gives it the potential to affect Latin America and Caribbean's stability by serving as a naval base (Hamlin 12). Also, leaders from the US feared the occupation of the island by foreigners as European powers made attempts to increase their sphere of influence. In history, the US regarded Haiti as Communist Cuba's counterbalance. The potential that Haiti has as a key trading partner, as well as a player in the drug trade, makes the country significant to the US while the two nations share a lot including a large number of Haitians living in the US. However, Haiti and the US have experienced troubled relations due to a number of reasons. As such, the following paper provides an explanation of the past events that created the current relationship between Haiti and the US while shedding some light on the two nations' current relationship. Further, it will be suggested that as a consequence of massive immigration from Haiti, the president should implement a policy that repeals the protected status for Haitians.

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Historically, there are various events that have established the binding ties between Haiti and the US. Until the emancipation of slaves in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln, the United States did not recognize Haiti as a sovereign state (Hamlin 13). Previously, the US adopted a complex policy that was ever changing towards Haiti but which took into consideration the interests of American slave-owners as well as the revolutionary history of the United States. However, after the Civil War, the effect of American government's expansionist policies started being felt by Haiti as a proposal emerged to have the US annex Haiti and other Caribbean countries. Despite the proposal not being turned into a reality, the US was able to establish numerous military bases in Haiti during the post-war period (Hamlin 14). In 1897, Haitian government was forced to pay huge taxes to German businessmen based on the fact that Germany was a key player in Haitian economic activities. This led the Haitian government to request for the US government's intervention but it never happened despite Haiti now being recognized as an independent nation (Hamlin 15). Thus, the US was unwilling to enter into a defensive alliance with Haiti despite Haiti's economy being attacked by German warships. From 1908 to 1915, Haiti underwent extreme political instability with seven presidents coming into power which resulted in troubled relations between Haiti and the US.

One of the key reasons for the hostile relations between the two nations was that Haitian National Bank went broke and the New York National City Bank re-capitalized it leading to a takeover of the Haitian treasury by the US (Hamlin 40). Also, the US sought to have control of the troubled country's customs revenues as debts repayment. Another reason for the Haiti-US dispute was the controversial US ownership of Haitian National Railroad. After the Haitian government refused to pay the contracted railroad company for the services offered, which could not be completed due to the country's instability nature, the railroad company was really angered. Furthermore, as noted by Bellegarde-Smith, the US felt threatened by German's role in Haiti (qtd. in Hamlin 14).

After the assassination of Haiti's president in 1915, the US invaded the country purporting that the raid was an intervention aimed at protecting property and order preservation (Hamlin 16). This led to the US occupying Haiti for the next nineteen years. Following the US takeover, a treaty was passed by the Haitian legislature giving the US control over the country's finances. However, soon later, the legislature was dissolved citing its refusal to approve Franklin Roosevelt's new constitution which revoked the provision that prohibited foreigners from land ownership. At that time, the US exercised veto power over all Haitian government's decisions while US Marine Corps commanders served as province administrators. However, finally, as part of Roosevelt's "Good Neighbor Policy", US troops withdrew from Haiti in 1934 (Hamlin 21). The policy was enacted after constant US criticism on the world stage which led to the recognition of US unfairness in its Latin America intervention. Critiques have argued that the US has been interfering with Haiti's policies and elections with the aim of benefiting from the poor country. For instance, the US is said to support Haitian politicians who are willing to endorse policies that benefit the US irrespective of any human violations or corruption claims that the politician may be facing (Hamlin 34). From that time, the US has consistently amended its relations with Haiti which has given rise to the current good relations between the two nations.

The current relationship between Haiti and the US can be described as cordial whereby Haiti is a priority to the US foreign policy. When Haiti is secure, prosperous and upholds democracy, the benefits are enjoyed by both Haitians and Americans. The policy of the US toward Haiti is intended to nurture the infrastructure and institutions crucial to achieve solid democratic foundations and significant poverty reduction by having sustainable development. The US makes humanitarian assistance available to a majority of vulnerable Haitians helping them meet their basic nutrition and health needs ("Haiti"). This, together with the assistance for lasting institution building and development has resulted in a strong Haiti-US bilateral cooperation. Some of the priority areas for the US include economic growth support and reduction of poverty, food security, promotion of respect for human rights, building of robust democratic institutions as well as reinforcing the Haitian National Police to enable Haiti provide security for its people while becoming a reliable partner against international crime ("Haiti"). Also, the US has encouraged Haiti to take part in free trade initiatives, which has resulted in the poor country signing multiple free trade agreements over the past few decades. Further, alliance networks between Haiti and the US has significantly benefited the developing economy in times of need, this was exemplified during disaster moments in Haiti such as the devastating earthquake and Hurricane Sandy strikes. However, despite the incessant efforts and measures put in place by the US, a large number of Haitian citizens continue to migrate illegally to the US while they enjoy protection from being expelled from the nation. This has raised concerns within the current US administration and calls for the implementation of the proposed policy which would require bringing to an end the Haitians' protected status. This is based on the fact that Haiti's condition has improved and can now allow a safe return of its nationals to the country.

However, the implementation of such a policy could have an effect of Haiti whereby the economy of the struggling nation would be further weakened. It could be difficult for Haiti to assimilate a large number of homeless earthquake survivors living in the US (Bustos). An action involving the deportation of Haitians would make the vulnerable group feel more worried about their future and filled with anxiety considering that their home country is still exposed to natural disasters including the most recent cholera outbreak (Attiah). In response to such an action by the US, Haitians would cross into other nations such as Turks, Bahamas, and Canada in search of a stable and quality life.

The policy to repeals the protected status for Haitians and deport them will have various consequences for both nations. For Haiti, cultural challenges would arise particularly among children born to Haitian-American families as they will find themselves in a completely different set of circumstances. The people in Haiti would also find it challenging to accept some of the cultural norms brought into their country by the US deportees in addition to the group undergoing identity struggles, lack of housing, unemployment, and inadequate health services (Hamlin 67). On the other hand, for the US, on a short-term basis, essential professional workers will be lost while the country's employers will have to look for alternative cheaper labor to replace what is currently offered by Haitians. As a long-term consequence, the US could lose $164 billion from GDP over the next decade while a significant amount of loans could go unpaid with the deportation of Haitians (Venugopal).

Works Cited

Attiah, Karen. "Trump Administration Decision Forces Haitian Families to Confront an Uncertain Future in the US." Public Radio International, 2017, www.pri.org/stories/2017-11-22/trump-administration-decision-forces-haitian-families-confront-uncertain-future.

Bustos, Sergio. "USA Today: Top Federal Immigration Official Recommends End to TPS for 50,000 Haitians in U.S." Politico PRO, 21 Apr. 2017, www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2017/04/21/usa-today-top-federal-immigration-official-recommends-end-to-tps-for-50-000-haitians-in-us-111418.

"Haiti." U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State, 16 Mar. 2018, www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1982.htm.

Hamlin, Margaret. "Similar Policies, Different Outcomes: US Policies toward Haiti and the Dominican Republic." (2011).

Venugopal, Arun. "The Economic Impact of Ending TPS." WNYC, 2017, www.wnyc.org/story/economic-impact-ending-temporary-protected-status/.