The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster

Paternalism—establishing a dominant/subordinate relationship under the guise of "best interests"—has marked Haiti's relationship with the rest of the world for most of its history. As a former French colony, Haiti was exploited for its resources until a slave revolt in 1804 liberated it. Independence, however, did not bring autonomy. Haiti's powerful neighbor to the north, the United States, has had its hand in Haitian politics since Woodrow Wilson ordered U.S. Marines to occupy the country in 1915, ostensibly to restore order after the assassination of the Haitian president. The U.S. had other motives, though. It recognized Haiti's importance as a potential naval base, even considering annexing the island in 1868. It also sought to establish a presence there to deter German economic influence in the Caribbean. ("U.S. Invasion and Occupation of Haiti, 1915-34."U.S. Department of State. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/haiti.) While the U.S. occupation ended in 1934, efforts to guide Haiti's destiny have not.

Haiti has long tried to wean itself off outside interference, but other countries have refused to wean themselves off of long-held assumptions about Haiti's ability to govern itself. Stereotypes of Haiti as perpetually impoverished and prone to political corruption persist even today, and those stereotypes created a dynamic in which Haiti finds itself forever in debt to foreign governments.