Experts in the Field: Haiti

The Center for American Progress Sustainable Security project recently went to Haiti on a research mission. Our task was to look at Haiti through the sustainable security lens.

Sustainable security argues that U.S. foreign policy needs to better integrate the tools in our national security toolbox, including defense, diplomacy, and development.

In Haiti, we focused our attention on the security and development situation.

Why did we decide to focus on Haiti? Haiti is very susceptible to external shocks. The food crisis in April 2008 caused major riots. Four hurricanes in August and September 2008 caused widespread devastation. We wanted to better understand the challenges Haiti faces and how the United States and international community can best engage and invest in Haiti’s future.

We spent June 9-17 in Haiti. Most of the time was spent in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. We met with U.S. government representatives, top UN Peacekeeping officials, the EU and Canadian Ambassadors, the Inter-American Development Bank, Haitian government officials, NGOs, and civil society leaders.

We also visited Cite Soleil, a notorious Port-au-Prince slum that was until very recently the center of gang activity and civilian kidnappings. UN Peacekeepers and the Haitian National Police have worked to clear up the slum and disband gangs. And the U.S. government put $20 million toward the Haiti Stabilization Initiative, which has helped to build infrastructure and community in this troubled neighborhood.

We drove to the Central Plateau of Haiti for a day trip and visited two Partners in Health clinics. These clinics are models of public health in a developing country. The clinics are focused on helping the poorest people in Haiti, are an integral part of the community, and have been and will continue to be part of the fabric of Haiti’s Central Plateau.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. About three-quarters of the population live on less than $2 a day. Unemployment ranges from 50-70 percent of the population. Haiti is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to natural disasters. It ranks low on the UN’s Human Development Index.

Yet Haiti is not hopeless. MINUSTAH, the Brazilian led UN Peacekeeping force, has stabilized the country and is working to build up local security forces. MINUSTAH has been successful, but security needs to be followed up by long-term investments in development. This can be achieved through the following actions by the United States and the international community:

• According to the UN, the security situation is “as good as it is going to get”; the U.S. government, in concert with other donors, needs to work to create jobs in order to build on security gains.
• The Haitian government is corrupt. The Haitian government does not see itself as looking after the common good of Haitian citizens, and Haitians have little faith in their government. The international community needs to invest in government capacity by providing technical assistance and budget support to ministries.
• Programs such as the Haiti Stabilization Initiative need to be replicated in urban settings throughout Haiti.
• The government does not provide many basic public services in Haiti, including health and education. These areas need to be strengthened and standardized so Haitian people can more easily access these services.
• Environmental degradation is visible in Haiti. Programs focused on the environment need to be a priority for the international community.
• Investing in civil society will allow the Haitian population to begin holding their government responsible and accountable. This will pave the way for greater private sector investments.

Investment in Haiti is in U.S. national interest because of its proximity to the United States. Using the 3Ds in the U.S. national security toolbox—defense, diplomacy and development—solutions are possible in the short, medium, and long term.