I think it very wise for the DR to send all those troops to the border now in light of the chaos in Haiti. I expect that they will have to stay for quite a while and am not quite clear exactly WHERE they are deployed? The four LEGAL border crossings (Dajabon/Elias Pina/Jimani/Pedernales are already reasonably well guarded - as are the roads coming into them on the DR side. The mountains running down from north to south are going to be harder to patrol and even supply troops as there is little development and only scattered settlements. But it is a wise move considering the state of Haiti right now.
As to the article posted by Bob - that is certainly my experience with the Haitian community here in South Florida as well as what I know about Haitians in Haiti - It is an extremely patriarchal culture. Single woman are - well - rare - and at risk.. Any sort of foreign female - blans- had best be connected to a mission of some sort.. if they dare to live alone in the countryside they are often considered "loup garou" - a sort of werewolf - that brings bad luck to the community.
Education is most certainly the key - as well at the distinction in class - only about 15% or less - of the population there actually speaks French - which is the language in which the official news is printed. It was only under Aristide that Kreyole also became an official language, I believe. Certainly all Haitians speak Kreyole - while only those who can afford to send their children through secondary school - which is taught completely in French - will actually rise in either their society or the general world.
The immigrants into the DR who are there who speak the 3, 4, sometimes 5 (since Italian is an easy one after French and Spanish) and find easy employment in the tourist sector - are often able to afford the proper papers and even working visas into the DR. But the vast majority of Haitians can not. I would venture to guess that the vast majority of Haitians have no real identity papers at all. For years, the only sort of birth registry were the records kept by local Catholic Church.
Here is an article that I wrote about some of the educated undocumented workers in the DR-- it really broke my heart to meet these folks since Haiti has SUCH a need for this managerial educated class of people but there does not seem to be any way for them to earn a livelihood over there.
Elizabeth Eames Roebling and Auguste Cantave
www.ipsnews.net
I agree with Nan that most of the Haitians that I met in the DR would have preferred to live in Haiti if they could make a living there.
The great mystery is always "WHY" they can't make a living there? There are so many complex reasons - history, etc - but - the ONE change that would mean the most to the future of Haiti would be allowing dual citizenship so that those who have emigrated (and their children) could vote. As I reflected on the two countries - this seemed to me the main difference between them in their recent years. In Haiti , the laws and constitution can not be changed as easily as in the DR. I am not sure where the Diaspora Vote issue is right now - it was certainly on the forefront of issues under Martelly. Now, of course, there really IS no government as JoMo is ruling by decree and the legislature rarely meets.