Haiti: Current Conditions and Congressional Concerns
Author | : |
Publisher | : DIANE Publishing |
Total Pages | : 21 |
Release | : |
Genre | : |
ISBN | : 1437927904 |
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Author | : |
Publisher | : DIANE Publishing |
Total Pages | : 21 |
Release | : |
Genre | : |
ISBN | : 1437927904 |
Author | : Maureen Taft-Morales |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 21 |
Release | : 2012 |
Genre | : Democratization |
ISBN | : |
Haiti's developmental needs and priorities are many. The Haitian government and the international donor community are implementing a 10-year recovery plan focusing on territorial, economic, social, and institutional rebuilding. While some progress has been made in developing democratic institutions, they remain weak. Following yet another controversial, sometimes violent election process, Haiti saw its first peaceful, democratic transfer of power between presidents of opposing parties in May 2011. Outgoing President Rene Préval handed the presidential sash to President Michel Martelly, a popular musician without any previous political experience. Martelly's administration has been without a prime minister for most of his first year in office, hampering reconstruction efforts. The main priorities for U.S. policy regarding Haiti are to strengthen fragile democratic processes, continue to improve security, and promote economic development. Other concerns include the cost and effectiveness of U.S. aid; protecting human rights; combating narcotics, arms, and human trafficking; and alleviating poverty. Congressional concerns include the pace and effectiveness of reconstruction; respect for human rights, particularly for women; counternarcotics efforts; and security issues. Congress is also concerned that overdue Senate and local elections be scheduled and be free, fair, and peaceful.
Author | : Congressional Research Congressional Research Service |
Publisher | : CreateSpace |
Total Pages | : 48 |
Release | : 2014-12-11 |
Genre | : |
ISBN | : 9781505587166 |
Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Since the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship in 1986, Haiti has struggled to overcome its centuries-long legacy of authoritarianism, extreme poverty, and underdevelopment. Economic and social stability improved considerably, and many analysts believed Haiti was turning a corner toward sustainable development when it was set back by a massive earthquake in January 2010 that devastated much of the capital of Port-au-Prince. Although it is recovering, poverty remains massive and deep, and economic disparity is wide: Haiti remains the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Haiti is in a political crisis as the expiration date for terms of most of the Haitian legislature approaches. In the fourth year of President Michel Martelly's five-year term, Congress and the donor community have expressed growing concern about his commitment to the democratic process due to his government's failure to hold legislative elections almost three years overdue. Haiti took some steps to move the process forward, but the Senate has failed to pass the necessary electoral law amendments. Saying they lack confidence in the provisional electoral council (CEP) that is to oversee the elections, some opposition members refuse to vote for the bill. Several major opposition parties are boycotting the elections. Thousands of protesters have called for Martelly's resignation. If the elections do not occur before January 12, 2015, the parliament will lack a quorum, and Martelly could rule by decree, increasing already-high political tensions. On December 9, a commission appointed by Martelly called for the CEP and the prime minister to resign and a consensus government to be formed. Haiti is a key foreign assistance priority for the Obama Administration in Latin American and the Caribbean. Haiti's developmental needs and priorities are many. The Haitian government and the international donor community are implementing a 10-year recovery plan focusing on territorial, economic, social, and institutional rebuilding. An outbreak of cholera in late 2010 has swept across most of the country and further complicated assistance efforts. Progress has been made in developing democratic institutions, although, as evident in the current crisis, they remain weak. The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) has been in Haiti to help restore order since the collapse of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristideâe(tm)s government in 2004. The mission has helped facilitate elections, combat gangs and drug trafficking with the Haitian National Police, and played a key role in emergency responses to natural disasters. Nonetheless, popular protests have called for MINUSTAHâe(tm)s withdrawal because of sexual abuse by some of its forces and scientific findings that its troops apparently introduced cholera to the country. In 2013 the U.N. said it would not compensate cholera victims, citing diplomatic immunity. Victims have filed a class action suit against the U.N. in U.S. federal court. The main priorities for U.S. policy regarding Haiti are to strengthen fragile democratic processes, continue to improve security, and promote economic development. Other concerns include the cost and effectiveness of U.S. aid; protecting human rights; combating narcotics, arms, and human trafficking; and alleviating poverty. Congress shares these concerns. The immediate priority is that a resolution to the elections impasse be reached quickly: concerns are high that further delays and Martelly ruling by decree will heighten political tensions and instability.
Author | : Maureen Taft-Morales |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 18 |
Release | : 2009 |
Genre | : Haiti |
ISBN | : |
Author | : |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 46 |
Release | : 2007 |
Genre | : |
ISBN | : |
The U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti has tried to improve security conditions, but Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, remains unstable. Natural disasters have contributed to instability. After several postponements, presidential elections were held on February 7, 2006, and runoff legislative elections were held on April 21. The electoral council declared Rene Preval winner after a controversial calculation process. He was inaugurated to a five-year presidential term on May 14. President Preval has outlined two main missions for his government: to build institutions and to establish conditions for private investment in order to create jobs. Preval enjoys broad support from the international donor community, the Bush Administration, and Congress. On December 9, 2006, the 109th Congress passed a special trade preferences bill for Haiti (the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement/HOPE Act of 2006, Title V, P.L. 109-432). Congressional concerns regarding Haiti include fostering democratic development, stability, and security; the cost and effectiveness of U.S. aid; protecting human rights; combating narcotics trafficking; addressing Haitian migration; and alleviating poverty.
Author | : Jerald Wetzel |
Publisher | : Nova Science Publishers |
Total Pages | : 0 |
Release | : 2014 |
Genre | : Disaster relief |
ISBN | : 9781631172021 |
Poverty in Haiti remains a massive and deep problem, and economic disparity is wide: today, Haiti remains the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. This book discusses Haiti's current conditions and congressional concerns under President Martelly, as well as addressing USAID infrastructure projects, testimonies from a hearing on the U.S. aid effectiveness, Haiti's 2012 human rights report and the Haiti 2012 international religious freedom report.
Author | : United States. Congress. House. Committee on International Relations. Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 174 |
Release | : 1996 |
Genre | : History |
ISBN | : |
Author | : Maureen Taft-Morales |
Publisher | : DIANE Publishing |
Total Pages | : 30 |
Release | : 2011 |
Genre | : Nature |
ISBN | : 143792932X |
This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. The largest earthquake ever recorded in Haiti devastated parts of the country, including the capital, on Jan. 12, 2010. The quake, centered about 15 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, had a magnitude of 7.0. The focus of this report is on the immediate crisis in Haiti as a result of the earthquake and the U.S. and international response as of 1/15/10. Contents: (1) Current Conditions; (2) Haitian Gov¿t. Response; (3) Humanitarian Relief Operation; (4) U.S. Response; (5) International Response; (6) Response of International Financial Institutions; (7) Regional Response ; (8) Implications for Haiti; (9) Congressional Concerns: Funding; Immigration; Constituent Concerns and Private Charities; (10) Legislation in the 111th Congress. Illus.
Author | : Maureen Taft-Morales |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 20 |
Release | : 2011 |
Genre | : Elections |
ISBN | : |
In proximity to the United States, and with such a chronically unstable political environment and fragile economy, Haiti has been a constant policy issue for the United States. Congress views the stability of the nation with great concern and commitment to improving conditions there. The Obama Administration considers Haiti its top priority in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Both Congress and the international community have invested significant resources in the political, economic, and social development of Haiti, and have closely monitored the election process as a prelude to the next steps in Haiti's development. For the past 25 years, Haiti has been making the transition from a legacy of authoritarian rule to a democratic government. Elections are a part of that process. In the short term, elections have usually been a source of increased political tensions and instability in Haiti. In the long term, elected governments in Haiti have contributed to the gradual strengthening of government capacity and transparency.
Author | : Maureen Taft-Morales |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 0 |
Release | : 2005 |
Genre | : Haiti |
ISBN | : |
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide first assumed office in February 1991, following elections that were widely heralded as the first free and fair elections in Haiti's then-186-year history. He was overthrown by a military coup in September 1991. For over three years, the military regime resisted international demands that Aristide be restored to office. U.S. policy under the Administrations of Presidents George H.W. Bush and William J. Clinton consisted of pressuring the de facto Haitian military regime to restore constitutional democracy. Measures included cutting off aid to the government; imposing trade embargoes; supporting OAS and U.N. diplomatic efforts, and ultimately, a military intervention to remove the regime. In September 1994, when it learned that a U.S. military intervention had been launched, the military regime agreed to Aristide's return, the immediate, unopposed entry of U.S. troops, and the resignation of the military leadership. President Aristide returned to Haiti in October 1994, under the protection of some 20,000 U.S. troops. Aristide, with U.S. assistance, disbanded the army and began to train a professional, civilian Haitian National Police force. Elections held under Aristide and his successor, Rene Preval (1996-2000), including the one in which Aristide was reelected in 2000, were marred by alleged irregularities, low voter turnout, and opposition boycotts. Efforts to resolve the electoral dispute frustrated the international community for years. The OAS tried to mediate negotiations between the Aristide government and the civic opposition. Tension and violence in Haiti continued throughout Aristide's second term, culminating in his departure from office on February 29, 2004, after the opposition had repeatedly refused to negotiate a political solution and armed groups had taken control of over half the country. Aristide claims that he is still the democratically elected president and that the United States forced him from office, a charge the Bush Administration denies. An interim government, backed by the Bush Administration, was established with Gerard LaTortue as Prime Minister. The U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti has improved security conditions, but Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, remains unstable. Natural disasters have contributed to Haiti's ongoing instability. Elections have been postponed several times. There is debate over whether security conditions and technical problems will be resolved enough to allow free, fair, and safe elections before the end of 2005, as scheduled. Congressional concerns relating to Haiti include fostering stability and democratic development, the cost and effectiveness of U.S. assistance, protection of human rights and improvement of security conditions, combating narcotics trafficking, addressing Haitian migration, and alleviating poverty. Current law related to Haiti includes P.L. 109-13, P.L. 108-25, P.L. 108-324, and P.L. 108-447. Legislation related to Haiti includes H.R. 257, H.R. 611, H.R. 899, H.R. 945, H.R. 946, H.R. 1130, H.R. 1213/S. 704, H.R. 1409, H.R. 1737, H.R. 2092, H.R. 2592, H.R. 2601, H.R. 3057, H.R. 3658, H.R. 3700, H.R. 4211/S. 1937, S. 350, S. 453, S. 600, S. 1197. This report will be updated periodically. See also "Haiti" in CRS Report RL32733, Latin America and the Caribbean: Issues for the U.S. Congress.