Haiti in the Balance: Why Foreign Aid Has Failed and What We Can Do About It

249 Pages·2008·2 MB·English

by  Terry F. Buss

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Haiti
in the
Balance
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Haiti
in the
Balance
Why Foreign Aid Has Failed
and What We Can Do about It
Terry F. Buss
with Adam Gardner
national academy of public administration
brookings institution press
Washington,D.C.
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about brookings
The Brookings Institution is a private nonprofit organization devoted to research,
education,and publication on important issues ofdomestic and foreign policy.Its
principal purpose is to bring the highest quality independent research and analysis
to bear on current and emerging policy problems.Interpretations or conclusions in
Brookings publications should be understood to be solely those ofthe authors.
Copyright © 2008
the brookings institution
1775 Massachusetts Avenue,N.W.,Washington,D.C.20036
www.brookings.edu
All rights reserved.No part ofthis publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the Brookings
Institution Press.
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication data
Buss,Terry F.
Haiti in the balance :why foreign aid has failed and what we can do about it /
Terry F.Buss with Adam Gardner.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:“Tackles such questions as why has assistance been so ineffectual
and what can be learned from Haiti’s plight concerning foreign aid in general,by
analyzing nearly twenty years ofHaitian history,politics,and foreign relations”—
Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-0-8157-1391-3 (pbk.:alk.paper)
1.Haiti—Politics and government. 2.Economic assistance—Haiti. I.Gardner,
Adam. II.Title.
F1921.B88 2008
972.94—dc22 2008025536
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets minimum requirements ofthe
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence ofPaper for
Printed Library Materials:ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Typeset in Minion and Lithos
Composition by Cynthia Stock
Silver Spring,Maryland
Printed by R.R.Donnelley
Harrisonburg,Virginia
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To the Haitian people
May they someday secure their freedom
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contents
Foreword by Eric Walcott ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
1
Introduction 1
2
Haiti in Extremis 10
3
Political History 20
4
Foreign Assistance 48
5
Foreign Aid and Foreign Policy 68
6
Foreign Assistance Failures 86
7
Lessons Learned:Reforming Foreign Assistance 130
8
Lessons Learned:Governance and Democracy
Programs 154
9
René Préval’s First Two Years in Office:2006–08 169
Afterword by Ambassador Edward J.Perkins 183
Appendixes
A.Presidents ofHaiti,1804 to Present 187
B.The Haiti Transition Initiative:A Case Study 189
Notes 193
References 207
Index 221
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foreword
T
he publication ofthis book is timely,and urgently needed,because it
adds fresh insights into ongoing discussions regarding what is an appropriate
development assistance approach for Haiti. If Haiti is considered a failed
state, this may be a reflection of what happens when development actors
become politicized in an already fragile environment and when the commit-
ment to the national good of a country’s political and business elites—sup-
posedly the natural gatekeepers ofthe welfare ofthe state—is nonexistent or
dysfunctional.The putative leaders ofthe Republic ofHaiti continue to view
the country and its resources in the way of foreigners,much as the colonial
masters viewed it from its inception:worthy only ofexploitation.
This book documents how efforts to effect change in Haiti are often
undertaken without taking into account local mores.Policy questions raised
here ought to be starting points for all actors aiming to effect change for a
new Haiti. Understanding the image of “mountains beyond Haiti’s moun-
tains”may also add much needed insight into the deep-seated conflicts based
on race,color,class,and political affiliations;these need immediate interven-
tion,even as meaningful attempts at sustainable change in the traditional sec-
tors ofthe economy take place.Eliminating disparities in access to commer-
cial opportunities,health,and education among Haiti’s 8 million citizens,for
whom civil and human rights continue to be elusive,is ofparamount impor-
tance in the effort to bring political stability to what many consider a post-
conflict environment.
A key finding ofthis book is that a paradigm change is needed on the part
ofboth the local Haitian actors,who are primarily consumed with attaining
power or in some cases survival, and the international community. The
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