Pondering Developments in Cuba and Haiti
July 2021 saw Cuba and Haiti in the news spotlight. In Cuba, sizable, widespread protests broke out over dissatisfaction with the government. These peaceful demonstrations were quickly snuffed out by the Cuban government, with police imposing order by force, jailing many demonstrators – with credible reports of torture and extra-judicial killings carried out by the authorities. Meanwhile, in a plot akin to a Graham Greene novel, Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in a brazen attack carried out by foreign mercenaries. Haiti, with a history of political violence and being victimized by natural disaster, was once again destabilized.
Cuba and Haiti are important for many reasons, but we can start with geography and demographics. Both nations, rich in history and, at times, influential in America’s development, are neighbors of considerable size and consequence. They are also both intimately connected to Florida. Today, the state is home to more than 1.5 million people of Cuban ancestry and roughly 530,000 Haitians. Many of these individuals, or their families, came to the United States to seek economic opportunities, escape political repression, or both. They have made enormous, positive economic and cultural contributions to Florida and the United States, yet remain concerned for their ancestral homelands.
There is a strong emotional connection to both Havana and Port-au-Prince, and in difficult times like this there is a reflexive if momentary call to action – a demand for Washington to do something. Yet few actual ideas or policies are drawn up, let alone implemented, that move the proverbial needle. Usually, policies are heavy on rhetoric and light on substance, designed to placate or, at best, encourage change rather than cause or force it.
Since Fidel Castro’s rise to power, Cuba has never escaped the attention of American policymakers. For decades, members of Congress and the executive branch, on a bipartisan basis, supported a hardline position against the communist government. This initially led to US support for direct, covert actions against Havana – the most spectacular being the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Washington has also imposed punitive economic sanctions on Cuba, including limiting human interaction between Cuban and American citizens. President Obama tried a different approach, which included diplomatic recognition and increased human and commercial interaction. The policy, however, was abruptly discarded by the Trump Administration.
Most Americans are unaware of Haiti’s influence on American history, including the Haitian defeat of Napoleon’s army which resulted in France selling rather than reoccupying the Louisiana Territory. Nor are they aware of how Haiti won its independence; the “threat” a black, independent nation posed to the institution of slavery; how its status as a black nation triggered intense racism and global isolation; the enormous debt Haiti was unfairly forced to pay France in reparations for decades even after winning its independence; or, about the 1915-1933 U.S. occupation and what it meant for Haiti’s development. Some may recall U.S. intervention in Haiti during the Clinton Administration, but the freshest memories are of the 2010 earthquake which left perhaps 200,000 dead (maybe more) and utterly devastated the nation. Haiti’s inspiring, but tragic history offers few prescriptions as to how Washington can help, although is replete with examples of what not to do, even if motives are noble – which they have not always been.
The oft-quoted expression by George Santayana is operative: “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Perhaps it is hubris that leads policymakers to discount the past because we are better, smarter, more committed, and aware. In Cuba, there simply must be a better way than a draconian economic blockade, invasion, or acquiescence to the communist government. Maybe, like with the USSR, an approach that blends an iron fist with a velvet glove will work at contributing to organic change within Havana. With Haiti, perhaps it is time to consider a more holistic approach – not just physical security or access to international loans, but sustainable development coupled with debt relief and preservation of a basic social safety net. Other nations have succeeded in building – not rebuilding a flawed system – a more stable nation which is not crippled by its own past.
Global Perspectives and International Initiatives – through the Puerto Rico Research Hub and other projects and partnerships – will continue to seek opportunities to facilitate discussion about the Caribbean. We encourage faculty and students to work with us to explore and learn about our neighbors and our neighborhood.
– David Dumke, Executive Director, UCF Global Perspectives and International Initiatives
