On the one hand, poverty, violence, earthquakes, hurricanes and destruction. On the other, tourism, industry and a growing economy. We invite you to find out why Haiti and the Dominican Republic, although they share the same island, have such different realities and histories. Geographic location, natural resources and climatic conditions influence, in one way or another, the development and potential of countries. For this reason, it is often surprising that two countries that share the same island have such different realities. We are talking about Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the two nations that inhabit Hispaniola, the fourth largest island in the world that has an international border. But the differences on both sides of the border are abysmal. Haiti is the poorest country in America and only 62% of the population is literate. It appears in 163rd place for its Human Development Index, only above two Asian countries and several African countries. The Dominican Republic, on the other hand, has a per capita income six times higher, its adult literacy reaches 96%, and its Human Development Index is close to the world average. Both countries have a relatively similar population, although the Dominican Republic occupies 63% of the island. This results in the Haitian population density being much higher. It is clear that geography does not determine everything, and we could think that political decisions or corruption favored the Dominican Republic to achieve greater growth. This is true, but even nature seems to work in his favor. While the last natural disaster on the eastern side was in 1998, Haiti suffered two devastating earthquakes in 2010 and 2021, in which 320,000 people died and more than two million were affected. So, is Haiti bad luck, does it have a curse or are there rational causes that explain the situation? There are several convincing arguments that we will see, although a degree of bad luck can be found at this point. The island is crossed by two tectonic plate faults. The one to the south, called Enriquillo, covers a good part of Haiti and just passes through the most populated areas, including Port-au-Prince. In fact, just 15 kilometers from the capital was the epicenter of the devastating 2010 earthquake, one of the most terrible in history. Leaving this question aside, it is useful to go back a few centuries. After the arrival of the Europeans, the Spanish conquered the island, but at the end of the 17th century they ceded the western part to France. Haiti became a very important colony due to the economic returns it provided. Since most of the indigenous people had died from diseases brought from Europe, the French sent thousands and thousands of African slaves to exploit sugar cane in the Caribbean. During the 18th century, 800,000 African slaves arrived in the French colony. In those years, the western part was much more developed than the eastern part, since Spain had to deal with many other issues in addition to what we know today as the Dominican Republic. Everything would change at the time of the French Revolution. Tempers were also running high in America and slaves led an unprecedented revolt. In this way, in 1804 Haiti proclaimed its autonomy. Thus it became the first independent country in Latin America. What followed was not easy for the fledgling nation. 21 years later, in 1825, three French ships arrived in Port-au-Prince and demanded reparations for independence. Contrary to what happens in many wars, it was the defeated who demanded reparations. In this case, for the income they stopped receiving in the colony and for the freed slaves. The amount requested was exorbitant: 150 million francs. A few years earlier, France had sold Louisiana to the United States for 80 million, a territory 77 times larger than Haiti. But France had the support of other powers, while Haiti was just being formed as a nation. Faced with this situation, the government accepted the debt and avoided a new war with France. which formally recognized the independence of Haiti. The debt was unpayable for this new state, which also tried to face it. There were years in which payments to France reached 40% of the country's income. In 1837 a new treaty was negotiated and the independence debt, which some call a ransom, was reduced to 90 million francs. In any case, Haiti's income was still unable to cover the enormous debt that had been imposed on them. The solution was to resort to loans from French and American banks. Now the Haitians not only had France as creditors, but also banks and had to pay interest. This situation is called double debt, and it was only known in depth in 2022, thanks to an investigation by The New York Times. Haiti's obligations to make payments stretched over decades and decades. Only in 1947, after 122 years, was Haiti able to completely free itself from the double debt. However, there was great damage that had already been done. The money for debts to France and the banks, if it had stayed in the country and at current values, is estimated at an amount ranging from 21,000 to 115,000 million dollars. That is, between one and six times the product of the Haitian economy in a year. There a window of opportunity opened for this nation, but it was not taken advantage of. In 1957 François Duvalier came to power, who would later lead a bloody dictatorship until his death in 1971. He was succeeded by his son Jean-Claude, who would be overthrown in 1986. These were repressive years in which inequality was accentuated. There is still a small millionaire elite in the country and a huge number of people in poverty. From there, with some international pressure, they sought to democratize the country and there were free elections, although there were also several coups d'état and the country remained the poorest in America. In 2003, then-president Jean-Bertrand Aristide brought to the table an issue that had not been mentioned before. He claimed from France the exact amount of 21,685,135,571.48 dollars for the losses caused by the unjust debt that his country had to pay. Months later, in the midst of a chaotic social situation, Aristide was deposed by a coup d'état with the intervention of the United States and France. In fact, the French government sent him on a plane to the Central African Republic. Meanwhile, what was happening east of the border? The Dominican Republic had its own ups and downs, like all of Latin America, although it did not have to pay any debt for its independence. Despite having suffered authoritarian governments in the past, in recent decades it was one of the most thriving economies in the region, especially thanks to tourism, industry, agriculture and mining. Despite also having corruption problems, the Dominican Republic achieved greater integration with the region and was more attractive for foreign investment. An advantage over its neighbor is that Spanish is spoken, while Creole and French prevail in Haiti. There is another huge difference between both nations and it can be seen with the naked eye in a satellite image. From this perspective it will be very easy for us to determine where the border is thanks to the vegetation. In the Dominican Republic, the jungle area reaches 64%, while in Haiti it is only 12%. Almost all the native Haitian forests were razed in colonial times, to make way for the exploitation of sugar cane, and in the later stage, to exploit timber and pay the debt with France. Added to this is that the country remains behind in its energy resources, and the population has historically used charcoal. The Dominican Republic, on the other hand, did not destroy its forests and was able to import fuel, which is why it preserves great vegetation. This issue is not a detail, since it has protected the country from several of the natural disasters that the island suffered. That, as we saw, they suffered more on the Haitian side. That 2010 earthquake, in addition to the enormous devastation it immediately brought, generated other problems over time. For example, organizations and people came to help from different parts of the planet. The UN sent troops from Nepal, but in addition to collaboration they brought cholera. In the following decade, 10,000 people died in Haiti due to the outbreak of this disease. Instability never stopped in this country. In 2021, then-president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated, elections have not been held since 2016, and the state does not have control of the streets, taken over by violent gangs. Faced with this situation, many Haitians have sought refuge abroad. Many emigrated to North America. But also to the only country with which they share a border, and which also has a more prosperous economy. The Dominican Republic is full of Haitians, many illegally, who carry out hard tasks in the construction and agricultural sectors. To contain the wave of immigrants, Dominican President Luis Abinader announced the construction of a wall between both countries. The first part was inaugurated at the end of 2023 and work continues in other parts of the perimeter. Despite being two towns that share geography and history, many resentments remain between Haitians and Dominicans. On the one hand, they remember the Haitian invasion in the 19th century, when the Dominican Republic was under Haitian rule for 22 years. On the other, the so-called parsley massacre, when in 1837 the then president Rafael Trujillo gave the order to murder around 20,000 Haitians. This anti-Haitian sentiment may explain the support for the wall among Dominicans. But, basically, the same thing happens as in other parts of the world: faced with a situation of inequality, immigrants do jobs that locals do not want and send remittances to their countries of origin. The same as the millions of Dominicans who are abroad, mainly in the United States and Spain. In addition, the Dominican Republic obtains great commercial revenue from its relationship with its neighbor. In the last year, 7% of Dominican product exports were destined for Haiti, for a total of 950 million dollars. Conversely, only 4 million dollars worth of products were imported from Haiti, which is equivalent to 0.018% of the total. The history of its independence, deforestation, corrupt governments, violence, xenophobia and natural catastrophes, all of this helps us to explain why Haiti is behind its Dominican neighbor in so many aspects. Currently, a new international intervention is being prepared that will seek to help the country take off. Do you think it could be useful? How do you imagine the future of these two sister nations? Leave your comment below. We also invite you to support us so we can continue growing. You can buy our book, become a member of the channel or like this video. Until next time.
