Haiti, this jewel of the Atlantic Ocean that once sparkled under the tropical sun, Pearl of the Antilles at the end of the Age of Enlightenment, today seems to be paying a heavy price for the historical exploits of its glorious history, the aftermath of its internal divisions, and especially the ravages of a failing governance based on corruption and foreign dependence. Rightly so, one could apply to it Mignon's famous lines: "Do you know the land where cotton flowers bloom? The land of golden fruits and crimson roses? Where an eternal spring shines and smiles like a blessing from God, under a sky always blue?" Except that here, the flowers wither and the land is gradually emptying of its children.
The Haitian tragedy is part of a long chain of political and historical misfortunes: from the heinous assassination of Emperor Jacques I, founder of the Nation, to that of the 58th Head of State, Jovenel Moïse; from the infamous ransom of 1825 to the American occupation of 1915; from the 1937 massacre to the Duvalier dictatorship; from the massive brain drain to the methodical and planned destruction of the national economy; from the vassalization of elites to the domestication of leaders, up to the forced emigration of a youth delivered to despair.
Faced with this succession of historical events, a fundamental question arises: Is Haiti a victim of a plan for exceptional guardianship, or even a project of progressive depopulation, with the complicity of its own patricidal elites? Everything seems to indicate the existence of a multifaceted strategy, already underway, that simultaneously affects the security, political, economic, social, and migratory spheres.
On the Security Front
The West, blindly and irresponsibly, pushes Haiti, which is vulnerable to criticism, to dismantle its armed forces without offering it a viable institutional alternative. It then contributed to the establishment of a national police force trained under its supervision, but left structurally weak, under-equipped, and incapable, despite the efforts of most of its agents, of ensuring public order alone. This police force is also confronted with a judicial system partially corrupted by perversion, making any sustainable national security policy impossible.
On the Political Front
Haiti has become more than ever a puppet state, deprived of any real sovereignty. Its political class, deeply subservient, gravitates around foreign chanceries that proclaim themselves "friends of Haiti." These powers are represented by true modern proconsuls, who openly and arrogantly participate in both the making and unmaking of our leaders, imposing agendas contrary to national interests and favoring the application of fundamentally anti-national aid programs.
On the Economic Front
Since the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Haitian economy has been severely hit by a succession of destructive decisions: the brutal eradication of the pig population as part of the African swine fever program, followed by the structural adjustment policy imposed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. These measures dismantled the foundations of national production, accentuated external dependence, and prolonged the country in a survival economy under permanent international aid perfusion.
On the Social Front
Ravaged by massive unemployment, chronic poverty, and a spiral of endemic insecurity, the country now lives at the mercy of international programs reduced to the distribution of food and hygiene kits, occasional vaccination campaigns, and minimal curative medicine. These interventions, while temporarily alleviating suffering, never address the structural causes of the problem and contribute to maintaining an assisted population, deprived of dignity and prospects.
On the Migration Front
The migration issue perhaps reveals the most troubling aspect of this situation. The movement of Haitians is now rigorously controlled and limited, particularly after restrictions related to the Biden program and the prolonged closure of visa services in certain consulates, including that of the United States of America. Added to this is the inaction of Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, a real barrier to mobility.
While thousands of compatriots had already, before all these difficulties, fled insecurity and poverty, many foreigners, particularly from Asia (China, India), are silently entering the territory, settling there, and largely becoming naturalized under opaque conditions, for unstated and potentially unspeakable purposes. This dynamic raises a disturbing question: Are we witnessing a tacit policy of demographic replacement?
This plan, if it exists, would aim to progressively transform Haiti, by substituting a more docile, more organized human group for what is today perceived as an "unmanageable monstrosity." Yet, Haiti's salvation lies in collective awareness. A country, like ours, having contributed so decisively to the history of modern civilization, to the freedom of peoples, and to human emancipation, must not be condemned to disappear. Haiti must neither perish nor be replaced. It must be reborn through the lucidity, courage, and civic engagement of its worthy daughters and sons.
Pierre Josué Agénor Cadet