2012 Genocide Risk: HAITI

Genocide Watch keeps track of various social convulsions around the world and ranks countries based on the perceived risk that a genocide might occur. The vast majority of countries with a genocide risk are found in Africa and Asia, but there are a handful in Europe and America that also face a genocide risk.

Only three American countries face genocide risk: COLOMBIA, VENEZUELA, AND HAITI.

Venezuela is considered to be in stage 5 of the genocide risk scale, while Colombia and Haiti have a slightly more serious situation with both in stage 6.

Countries in stage 6 are in the preparation/potential massacres stage. Colombia?s situation is perpetrated by drug gangs and the FARC against government officials while Haiti?s situation is perpetrated by duvalierists (followers of dictator Francois Duvalier and his son 'Baby Doc') against democrats (I presume Haitians with democratic ideals).

I quote from the document (available at the end of this post):

Bipolar societies that lack mixed categories? are the most likely to have genocide.

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HAITI:

The United States occupied Haiti from 1915 through 1934. An outspoken opponent of American occupation and Haiti?s mulatto elite, Dumarsais Estim?, became President from 1946 through 1950, when he was overthrown by a military junta. Power remained in the hands of the army until September 1957, when Dr. Francois Duvalier, a physician known as ?Papa Doc?, was elected President, supported by blacks who saw in him the end of the ?reign of mulattos?.

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Duvalier corrupted the idea of ?negritude? championed by black intellectuals into a racist idea: ?Negroism.? He used it to divide the black masses from the Haitian elite, traditionally composed of descendentss fo mulattoes. Duvalier kept the Haitian people in ignorance and illiteracy. 2,000 opponents were executed by his Tontons Macoutes in 1967 alone.

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http://www.genocidewatch.org/images/Countries_at_Risk_Report_2012.pdf

For those you much more acquainted with whatever is going on in Haiti, feel free to share your two cents.

Aside from the genocide thing, one other thing that brought chills to my spine was the notion that in 2025 there will be roughly 20 million people living in Haiti. With a prospect like that, I still don't understand how there are people that are advocating for no further reinforcements along the Dominican-Haitian border, including the building of a fence that is successful at channeling everyone to the main entry/exit points along the border. Anyway, this last part is not meant to be part of this discussion, simply an added note.