Today a lot of left-leaning people are circulating an editorial by Peter Hallward in the UK Guardian entitled Our Role in Haiti’s Plight. I think it’s worth the read, BUT be aware:

There is a huge omission in this article that should not be ignored. While it’s all well and good to point to the repeated US invasions starting in 1915, it’s important to recognize that Haiti’s poverty was enforced earlier by another colonial power: France. After a crippling 20 year embargo as retaliation for the slaves taking their freedom, in 1825 France demanded 150 million francs (equivalent to $21 billion today) as payment for lost profits. In other words, France made the former slaves pay for their freedom. Haiti was forced to sign the treaty with French and German gun boats sitting in their harbor.

Haiti could not make the first payment and so it was arranged that they would receive loans from French banks, at exorbitant interest rates. Haiti was paying this indemnity for 123 years! The last payment was in 1947. At various points they were spending more money on the interest rate payments than on social services for their own people. It was only after the 1915 invasions that the US became involved, when some of the loans were transferred to American banks. (although I haven’t managed to source this last piece of information)

This is a particularly large omission since it is in a European newspaper. France must be held accountable too! And in fact, in 2003/4 Aristide demanded reparations from France, a repayment of all 21 billion. Not too long after, he was forcefully and anti-democratically removed from power and exiled from his homeland.

The New York Times Op-Ed is actually more honest about some of this. In either case, I hope people are beginning to understand that as much as this earthquake has been a natural disaster it is also a post-colonial disaster.