Political Interventions

The Haitian Revolution did not end France’s quest for influence and domination over Haiti. In 1825, France sent warships to Haiti and forced the government to agree to “compensate” former colonists a price of 150 million francs (roughly 3 billion U.S. dollars in today’s currency). This debt contributed to limiting Haiti’s investments in infrastructure and economic development until it was eventually paid off in 1947. By the early 1900s, the United States replaced France as a new force seeking to dominate Haiti economically and politically. In 1915, to protect its economic interests after the assassination of President Guillaume Sam, the U.S. invaded Haiti and occupied the country until 1934.

In 2004, after a coup deposed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide—Haiti’s first democratically elected president—the U.S., Canada, and France sent forces into Haiti purportedly to restore order. From 2004 until 2017, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTHA) led a controversial peacekeeping mission to maintain the “rule of law.” Currently, Haiti is facing another U.N.-backed occupation after the turmoil following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, whom the U.S. helped to install to the Haitian presidency in 2017. This long history of international involvement underscores Haiti’s suppression by foreign powers.