Can Haiti be Saved? Essay -- Countries of The World

IntroductionHaiti is most commonly referred to as the poorest nation in the western hemisphere with 80% of its population living in poverty. The country is plagued with the misfortunes of natural disasters, a history of extensive debts, and a poor social system. When looking at the country today, in that respect seems to be little productivity. However, most are unaware that Haiti was once one of the richest colonies in the New World. Much like today, the exports were agricultural and textile products such as tobacco, cocoa beans, coffee, fruit, and cotton. As opposed to being viewed as a failed state, Haiti was Frances prized possession, named the beading of the Antilles. The colony was extremely profitable as a result of the break ones back trade and produced more than half of the worlds sugar (Watkins, 2012). The country today is a stark contrast. In the following paper, I will argue how Haiti became a developing nation. Additionally, I will analyze several of the Hai tis current economic policies and their hindrance on the further development of the country. BackgroundIn order to understand Haitis current economic situation, it is important to know about the countrys past. As stated previously, Haiti was once referred to as the Pearl of the Antilles. However, the slave revolts that finally secured Haitis independence in 1804 ruined plantations across the island. Afterwards, the newly freed Haitians attempted to resume the large scale production. But, this effort was a failed one. Eventually, the plantations were distributed in the form of small scale farms. It is important to note, though, that these farms were mainly government owned and began a long history of government property ownership (Watkins, 2012). Further... ...Watkins, T. (2012, April 02). Department of economics. Retrieved from http//www.sjsu.edu/ might/watkins/haiti.htmMackey, R. (2010, August 16). France asked to return money extorted from haiti. Retrieved from http//thele de.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/france-asked-to-return-money-extorted-from-haiti/Dunkel, G. (2003, October 16). U.s. embargoes against haiti -- from 1806 to 2003 . Retrieved from http//www.iacenter.org/haiti/embargoes.htmIves, K. (2010, July 14). Land ownership at the crux of haitis stalled reconstruction. Retrieved from http//upsidedownworld.org/main/news-briefs-archives-68/2589-land-ownership-at-the-crux-of-haitis-stalled-reconstructionTransparency.org. (2011). Retrieved from http//cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/results/SICE. (2012). Foreign trade information systmes. Retrieved from http//sice.oas.org/ctyindex/HTI/HTINatlDocs_e.asp