{"id":238073,"date":"2025-06-30T07:19:55","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T11:19:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/?p=238073"},"modified":"2025-06-30T09:27:39","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T13:27:39","slug":"economists-urges-eliminating-gangs-and-restoring-political-order-in-haiti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/2025\/06\/30\/economists-urges-eliminating-gangs-and-restoring-political-order-in-haiti\/","title":{"rendered":"Economist urges eliminating gangs and restoring political order in Haiti"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Dominican Republic must play a proactive role in promoting peace, investment, and job creation in neighboring Haiti, argues economist Humberto Cristian, a member of the Haiti Studies Unit at the P. Alem\u00e1n Center of the Pontificia Universidad Cat\u00f3lica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), as reported in Listin Diario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recent opinion piece titled \u201cEmotion-Driven Migration Policies and Their Impact on National Life,\u201d Cristian emphasizes that current immigration measures alone are not enough to prevent future crises. He points to Haiti\u2019s significantly higher birth rate and warns that, without political and economic stability, the situation could deteriorate further in the next decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we don’t eliminate the power of gangs and restore political order, in 10 to 15 years, we may face an even more severe crisis than today,\u201d Cristian cautions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ongoing instability in Haiti, Cristian argues, is no longer just a Haitian problem\u2014it\u2019s a Dominican one too. \u201cThis crisis spills over the border. Dominican policy must recognize that stability in Haiti is essential for stability at home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He urges the Dominican government to support international peace efforts in Haiti, including backing the Transitional Presidential Council. Such efforts, he says, require coordinated political and financial support from the global community to help Haiti regain territorial control and assert legitimate authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cristian also criticizes local nationalist movements for ignoring the deep economic interdependence between the two countries\u2014particularly the Dominican reliance on Haitian labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He notes that while often labeled \u201ccheap,\u201d Haitian labor\u2014especially in construction\u2014is not as inexpensive as believed. Nevertheless, its availability has discouraged technological upgrades in sectors like rice farming. \u201cNationalization and mechanization take time. We can\u2019t shut down parts of our economy waiting for that transition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also highlights that Haiti is the Dominican Republic\u2019s second-largest trade partner in both exports and re-exports, underscoring the importance of a stable Haitian economy to Dominican business interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cristian calls out years of neglect in enforcing immigration laws, claiming the system became a profitable\u2014but illicit\u2014enterprise for military and civilian officials alike. He praises the current administration for cutting down on human trafficking and extortion but warns that this illicit economy has become deeply entrenched and will take sustained effort to dismantle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He expresses concern over the rise in nationalist rhetoric, accusing right-wing parties and patriotic movements of politicizing the border crisis for electoral gains\u2014citing past issues like the Friusa settlement, Haitian maternity patients, and the canal dispute in Ouanaminthe, Haiti.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese groups are now pushing a narrative of a \u2018patriotic war\u2019 against Haiti,\u201d he warns. \u201cThat\u2019s dangerous. It’s time to think rationally and stop following their lead before we make a historic mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He distinguishes between targeted border closures for specific issues, which have political advantages but economic downsides, and the far more serious consequences of escalating into armed conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cristian denounces the lack of attention to the root causes of migration \u2014 poverty, insecurity, and political instability in Haiti \u2014 as well as the complicity of Dominican officials in profiting from migrants\u2019 vulnerability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He concludes with a stark warning: \u201cThese movements speak of war, but what exactly are they proposing? Extermination? Occupation? Have they even thought about an exit strategy? It\u2019s all emotion, used as a tool for political control and relevance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more in Spanish:
Hoy <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

30 June 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Dominican Republic must play a proactive role in promoting peace, investment, and job creation in neighboring Haiti, argues economist Humberto Cristian, a member of the Haiti Studies Unit at the P. Alem\u00e1n Center of the Pontificia Universidad Cat\u00f3lica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), as reported in Listin Diario. In a recent opinion piece titled \u201cEmotion-Driven … <\/p>\n

Read more\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[337,3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238073"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238073"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":238113,"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238073\/revisions\/238113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}