3 - Colonial Racial Capitalism in Haiti
ucla | HIST 12B | 2023-10-09 22:46
Table of Contents
4 border governance strategies
- identified by Walia in Border and Rule
- administration deported more Haitians in 1st month than Trump’s entire presidency
- Biden introduced policy preventing asylum seekers applying at US-Mexico border
- territorial diffusion
- Haitian Family Reunification Parole Program - allowed migrants waiting for visas parole -> Haitians pushed into low wage, dangerous work
- Commodified inclusion
What happened to Haiti’s economy
- poorest country ion western hemi
- lowest gdp per capita ever at ~$870
Revolution and War on Haiti
- Revolution 1791-1804 - first black republic, first western to abolish slavery
- western nations imposed embargos due to sovereignty
- war left agriculture and exports destroyed
- Haiti forced to pay indemnity to French slaveholders in 1825 - 150 million francs (decreased to 60 million in 1838)
- Haiti paid back 21
US occupation of Haiti
Pre-occupation
- beginning of WW1, 1914 - US concerned of german influence in Haiti
- US state dept backs American national city bank -> controlled Haitian national bank and govt treasury ->
- install dictator Vilbrun Guillaume Sam -> overthrown by ppl -> pretext for US invasion and occupation until 1934
Occupation
- Wilson re-wrote Haitian constitution -> allowed foreign ownership of land
- within 6 wks of occupation reps controlled banks & treasury
- occupation ensured 40% of income pay back debts owed to US and French banks
- imposed forced labor for public works
Neoliberalization of Haiti
- 1957-86 dictatorship Duvalier family -> elite monopolized wealth
- US supported conditioned on Haiti buying US imports
- US Caribbean Basin Initiative 1983 -> shift subsistence agriculture to exports (intended to increase manufacturing)
- US compels Haiti to free market trade -> American Rice Corp moves in and farmers cant compete
- displaced farmers migrate to cities -> export processing zone of American goods for cheap
- 1986 Duvalier overthrown -> more neoliberal policies, slashed tariffs -> compel US firms to invest
- 1990 Aristide elected -> govt buy rice to reduce imports, and increase min wage -> IMF blocked to keep competitive advantage in production
- International aid contingent on market liberalization
Migrant Crisis
- economic instability, urban migration, joblessness, political instability - most of which caused by US -> haitians seek asylum in US
- Reagan policy to return all boats or detain then deport
- these policies are still here under Biden - precedent set by historical prez
- Aristide elected and overthrown by 2004 -> US kidnaps him
- Coup -> Clinton Global Initiative -> created more free zones to increase exports and low wages
Energy and Mining
Energy
- PetroCaribe energy agreement - Venezuela agreed to subsidize Haiti w/ oil -> kept fuel prices stable for 10 years
- corrupt govt. stole $3.8 million -> Venezuela econ tanked -> IMF forced Haitian govt to eliminate fuel subsidies for climate change
Mining
- 1970-s found rare minerals in Haiti valued up to 20$ billion
- 1976 Haiti prohibits mining - people living in the Northern hills where minerals found and mining would devastate
- Post-Aristide govt issued mining permits to US and Canadian firms -> 2017 Haiti works with World Bank to revise law and allow foreign mining