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I am hoping that the OP joins in on discussions with other threads.
Given his extensive background, contacts, political knowledge, it would be great to hear some of his opinions. Share some of his knowledge. Many have little interest in business opportunities in the DR due to past experiences and firsthand knowledge of businesses failing. Given the OP's social circle/background/contacts (based on credentials he posted), I am sure he has a wealth of knowledge right there for business opportunities.
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JD Jones
Here is your wish!
HAITI
Haiti, why is it not important?
By Geovanny Vicente Romero
22:40 ET(02:40 GMT) April 17, 2019
Editor's note: Geovanny Vicente Romero is a lawyer and political scientist, with experience as a professor and advisor on public policies and governance. He is a political strategist and government communications consultant. He is currently completing a master's degree in Political Communication and Governance at George Washington University. He is founder of the Center for Public Policies, Development and Leadership RD (CPDL-RD). Follow him on Twitter: @GeovannyVicentR. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
(CNN Spanish) -- The question that serves as the title for this analysis may seem tendentious, if not idle. However, it is the same question I ask myself when I think about all the problems affecting the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. This extreme poverty that I just pointed out may be, in part, the result of the indifference suffered by the nation that shares the same island with the Dominican Republic, the fastest growing economy in Latin America and which in 2018 had a surprising growth rate. , 7% according to the World Bank.
Unlike some Central American countries, which largely have means of local production, in the case of Haiti it seems that the citizen has no other option than to emigrate. On the other hand, Central America relies heavily on remittances and, in some countries, this item constitutes their main source of income, generating foreign currency easily because their citizens constantly arrive by land to the United States. It is not the same story for some Haitians, since contemplating emigration to the North is a real challenge since, among other things, they must face the fury of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea with a low probability of reaching the desired destination since when They do not fall victim to the shipwrecks that fragile boats suffer, they are apprehended upon arrival by the coast guard.
It should not surprise us that the Dominican Republic has the second largest Haitian diaspora, after the United States, since the reasons for this phenomenon lie in the Dominican economy itself and, of course, in geography since it is enough to cross a border that at first glance seems non-existent. This emigration is not new, already at the time of the US occupation of Haiti and the Dominican Republic in 1916, there was an important flow of Haitians to the eastern part of the island, who were brought by US capital consortiums to work. as braceros and in this way reduce costs.
Haiti may matter little in the global debate and within the regional neighborhood, since it is the poor, black neighbor without oil, but the reality is that it matters for all that and much more. Today it is the poorest country in America, as we have said, but in the past it was one of the richest colonies on the planet and the most profitable in the Caribbean, producing 75% of the world's sugar production by the year 1789. the same year as the French Revolution. Let's call a spade a spade: they're black! That blackness with totally normal skin in a multicolored world, but "abnormal" in a world that continues to reproduce the same stereotypes that generate the stigma of the "ugly duckling" when something is different from what our mind has already legitimized as "normal", It has probably worked against them in their future when we see that historically some countries even opted for the whitening of the population and not for their own identity and the richness of diversity.
Haiti does not produce oil, therefore, it is a natural importer of crude oil and does not attract interest to its country. Since their birth as a republic, they have been so busy solving their own problems that they have not had time to fully integrate into the global conversation, except when a disaster arises that once again condemns them to prolonged poverty. As we have said, it was a very lucrative colony that not only produced sugar, but also coffee and other products. Unfortunately, the current deforestation originated progressively and systematically in the exploitation model that this part of the island suffered. Today a satellite photograph can show an arid image in contrast to the greenery of the Dominican Republic, which had a different fate. They say that people have the governments they deserve, but the reality is that citizens can build their government myths and forget forever about that defeatism.
The black people of Haiti, tired of slavery and exploitation, achieved independence from the first Latin American nation more than 200 years ago. So, let's not look for the oldest black republic in the world in Africa, it is here in the region, under our noses since 1804. Therefore, this feat makes Haiti the second oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere, only behind the United States. United States that became independent in 1776.
When we take stock of those two centenaries of republican life, we reach an unequivocal conclusion for Haiti: two centuries of poverty, political instability, cruel and long dictatorships, little international aid and as if that were not enough, natural disasters that leave the country destroyed. The future is not encouraging, in fact, it never has been. The blackness of their skin made them their first bad move with the commercial blockade and the isolation they suffered from the nations of the world who saw in Haiti a precedent that could be repeated with their own slaves. It was not until 1862 when the United States recognized Haiti's independence.
Haiti was born in debt since its independence not only cost tears, sweat and a lot of blood, it also cost a lot of money for a nation that was taking its first steps alone: In 1804, Haiti paid France a fine of 150,000,000 francs (about US $21,000 million today), payments that were made in five annual installments.
The great nations that today help insufficiently and promise help that never ends up arriving, are in some cases, the same ones that benefited from the enormous wealth of the black nation. It is paradoxical that the Dominican Republic being a country that was occupied and subjected to the Haitian yoke from 1822 to 1844, is the one that contributes the most directly and indirectly with the Haitian citizens who live on its side, and who go to Dominican hospitals daily. to perform births and treat different health conditions.
It is a shame that the fate of Haiti only concerns us when a vicious hurricane or a devastating earthquake destroys that country. I remember that for the 2010 earthquake, it was the Dominicans - of whom we are largely black too, but we don't fully know it - who were the first to help the neighboring nation in its worst moment. Of course, for geographical reasons, the Dominican brigades were the first to arrive, but this support was maintained over time with sustained food assistance, donation of mobile kitchens, and culminated with the donation from the Henri Christophe Haitian State University in 2012.
Today the international press gives little attention to the protests that are taking place in the streets of Haiti as a result of citizen fatigue with corruption, the same discontent that has recently generated a change of prime minister. We must pay more attention to the issues that are happening there, such as the one related to the withdrawal of the current UN police mission in Haiti (Minujusth), a withdrawal decreed by the UN Security Council. Russia and the Dominican Republic, which occupies a non-permanent seat in said body, abstained from that decision. The Dominican diplomatic decision was correct by abstaining. The proximity and migratory relationship of the Dominican Republic with Haiti means that any decision, for or against the measure, is not interpreted in its correct dimension. Haiti needs genuine support from the international community and needs to be given the "fish" it was promised and, along with it, taught how to fish.
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Geovanny Vicente Romero: Hoy la prensa internacional se hace poco eco de las protestas que se producen en las calles de Haití a raíz de hartazgo ciudadano frente a la corrupción, el mismo descontento que ha generado un cambio de primer ministro recientemente. Debemos prestar más atención a los...
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