With dueling protests in favour and against the government of Haitian president Michel Martelly occurring in the historic city of Gonaïves and eslewhere, a few people have asked me what my take on Haiti's latest chapter of unrest is.
I haven't been on the ground in Haiti since last August (a state of affairs I am hoping to remedy in the near future if I can piece together funding for a trip) and, as such, I am hesitant to make pronouncements from afar. But it appears to me that the usual political actors are taking advantage of the Martelly government's missteps and the desperation of the population to attempt a lunge for power.
Alas, Haiti continues to have the lowest level analysis of it by outsiders of any country I've ever reported on, so don't look to the international press or most academics focusing on the place to provide you with any clues as to what's happening.
What we are witnessing is a dance that has been played out time and again in Haiti's history and one which unfortunately always seems to find willing dance partners both at home and abroad.
I haven't been on the ground in Haiti since last August (a state of affairs I am hoping to remedy in the near future if I can piece together funding for a trip) and, as such, I am hesitant to make pronouncements from afar. But it appears to me that the usual political actors are taking advantage of the Martelly government's missteps and the desperation of the population to attempt a lunge for power.
Alas, Haiti continues to have the lowest level analysis of it by outsiders of any country I've ever reported on, so don't look to the international press or most academics focusing on the place to provide you with any clues as to what's happening.
What we are witnessing is a dance that has been played out time and again in Haiti's history and one which unfortunately always seems to find willing dance partners both at home and abroad.
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