Just over six years ago, I arrived in Santiago, Chile, expecting to serve the Chilean people for the balance of my mission. That I did, but I was presented with a welcome surprise on the ride from the airport to our mission president’s home. The two missionaries who picked me up told me that there were tons of Haitians in Santiago, and many missionaries learned Haitian Creole to be able to teach them. Curious and eager to learn, I soon found myself studying and teaching in Creole. I found Haitians to be a delightful, kind-hearted, and God-fearing people.
I grew quite fond of Haitian culture and people and still maintain Haitian connections. For that reason, my heart wrenches over the continued adversity that the country faces, especially recently. Haiti can be a success story from history class—it had the first successful slave revolt and was the first African-led nation in the new world [15]. The country has been plagued by poverty, conflict, and other misfortune since. Half the country is below the poverty line, and it is considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere [3]. It’s also particularly susceptible to earthquakes because of its poor infrastructure and position along a fault line. The 2010 earthquake in the capital city of Port Au Prince killed about 220,000 people [8].
More recently, the country has been rife with political conflict. In 2021, President Jovenel Moise was killed by Colombian mercenaries with part of the assassination plot being planned in the United States [3]. The current prime minister, Ariel Henry, was appointed prime minister just two days before the assassination, but was not yet sworn in. The assassination led to a brief power struggle between Ariel Henry and acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph. Henry eventually gained international recognition and has led the country since [8]. There has been anything but closure to the case since. Just recently, President Moise’s wife was accused of conspiring with Claude Joseph to plan the assassination [3].
Prime Minister Ariely Henry has postponed elections since, over two years since being recognized as Haiti’s unelected leader [3]. It has been eight years since Haitians have had an election [9]. Gang activity has increased,
with Jimmy Cherizier, nicknamed “Barbecue,” leading the calls for Henry’s resignation. Prompted by the rising conflict, a group of Caribbean leaders and American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken have agreed to set up a seven-member council that would lead Haiti as its acting president [2]. Prime Minister Henry has agreed to resign once a transitional government is appointed [1].
The situation in Haiti was already dangerous, now it is harrowing. Prime Minister Henry is in Puerto Rico, unable to safely return to Haiti. Gangs now control the major airports. Gang leader Barbecue has promised, “We won’t lie to people, saying we have a peaceful revolution. We do not have a peaceful revolution. We are starting a bloody revolution in the country.” [1] With such a dire situation, escalating since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, why has there not been a forceful international response?
Kenya has volunteered to lead UN forces in Haiti in a peacekeeping mission, and the US has pledged up to $200 million in such an effort [4]. It’s not enough. The urgency from the peacekeeping mission is lacking, and the inaction since President Moise was assassinated is disappointing; the downward spiral into chaos should have been predictable. Haiti is in emergency mode, and our second-rate response doesn’t cut it. Haiti will need to be a more self-reliant democracy in the future, but for now, it needs our urgent assistance.
Recently, Congressional Republicans blocked $40 million of aid towards Haiti that was requested by the Biden Administration [13]. The issue has been engulfed by partisan bickering; Republicans justify their hesitancy by claiming that the Biden Administration has not presented a detailed plan for the use of the funds. Such a concern is valid, but to me it is part of a broader, disheartening trend. The Republican party continues to distance itself from foreign intervention, from Ukraine to Haiti. I believe in American exceptionalism, just as many other Republicans do. Yet the Republican form of exceptionalism has become isolated and selfish. Obviously, American intervention doesn’t always work, but our indifference towards a crisis not too far from home is embarrassing. Haiti needs help, and it needs help now.