Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in the Bahamas for the 50th anniversary summit of CARICOM, the Caribbean community of nations. The main topic of the gathering is the worsening crisis in Haiti, where nearly two-thirds of the capital is under the control of ruthless gangs.
The American understanding of Haiti is stained with poverty, natural disasters, and political turmoil. As a result, some Americans think Haitians just need to figure it out and stop putting their hands out, while others take a paternalistic approach and think the United States should interfere and “help” even if that is not what Haitians want. These sentiments are bolstered by misrepresentations of Haiti in the media and in academia.
In the days and weeks following the 2010 earthquake that ravaged his country, Joseph then Haiti’s ambassador to the United States was a familiar face on CNN. And now, as the Caribbean nation descends further into a nightmare of natural disasters, political assassinations, kidnappings and lawlessness, this elder statesman cannot and will not remain silent.