Haiti

United States

Military & Security

The U.S. government is considering deploying Latin American peacekeeping troops to Haiti to help combat extreme gang violence if Russia and China veto the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers, the Financial Times reported on May 13.

Haiti, U.S.: Washington Considers Organization of American States Deployment to Haiti 

Saint Lucia

China

Economics

China, Latin America, Caribbean: Beijing to Boost Credit, Investment, and Regional Ties After China-CELAC Forum

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in a press release on May 2 that the State Department officially designated the Haitian gangs Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as foreign terrorist organizations, or FTOs, and specially designated global terrorist groups, or SDGTs.

U.S., Haiti: U.S. Designates Major Haitian Gangs as Terrorist Groups

A U.S. Department of State spokesperson announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued waivers to allow the United States to provide $40.7 million in foreign assistance to Haiti, including to support the U.N.-approved, Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission, AP reported on Feb. 5. 

Haiti: U.S. Affirms Support for Multinational Security Support Mission

The United States notified the United Nations that it froze U.S. funding for the U.N.-approved, Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission amid a 90-day pause on foreign aid that President Donald Trump imposed after taking office on Jan. 20, Reuters reported on Feb. 4. 

Haiti: U.S. Informs U.N. of Freeze on Funds for Multinational Security Mission

Politics

Haiti's transitional presidential council dismissed interim Prime Minister Garry Conille and plans to replace him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime, The Guardian reported on Nov. 10.

Haiti: Transitional Presidential Council Dismissed Interim Prime Minister

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to extend the mandate of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission to combat gang violence in Haiti for another year, AP reported on Sept. 30.

Haiti: U.N. Security Council Renews Multinational Deployment to Haiti

The United National Security Council (UNSC) on Sept. 6 began considering a draft resolution to extend the mandate for the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to combat gang violence in Haiti, Reuters reported the same day.

Haiti: UNSC Considers Extending Multinational Deployment to Combat Gang Violence

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The lobby of the headquarters for the U.S. Agency for International Development is seen on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Social Issues

Cuts to U.S.-funded humanitarian and development programs could worsen global health outcomes, destabilize security environments, accelerate democratic backsliding, and create opportunities for rival powers to expand their influence.

The Global Implications of Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts

Kenya

Somalia

U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden pose with Kenyan President William Ruto (center), alongside his wife and children, as they arrive for a State Dinner at the White House on May 23, 2024. 

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

For Kenya, stronger ties with the U.S. could unlock new investment and diplomatic opportunities, but bilateral relations could weaken if Nairobi draws down its police deployment in Haiti, or if Trump reenters the White House.

What To Expect From Stronger U.S.-Kenya Ties

Snapshots

A Haitian police officer controls the area around the country's National Palace in Port-au-Prince on May 1, 2024.

The reversal in the transitional council's appointment of a new prime minister highlights political tensions within the governing body, indicating risks of further political instability and violence in the coming months.

Disputes Over a Prime Minister Appointment Bode Ill for Haiti's Stability

A woman carrying a child runs from an area in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after hearing gunshots on March 20, 2024.

The Caribbean nation's humanitarian and security crises are set to worsen in the weeks ahead, as gangs seize more territory and the U.N.-backed security deployment faces delays.

In Haiti, Weeks of Extreme Gang Violence Show No Sign of Easing

Senegal

France

Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 11, 2024, in Beijing.

U.S.-China Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Senegalese Presidential Elections, Xi Meets With U.S. CEOs

A protester burns tires during a demonstration in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 12, 2024, after Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his plans to resign. 

For Kenya, sending police officers to the gang-ridden Caribbean country will likely help it boost ties with the West if the mission is a success, but it risks triggering public backlash at home.

What a Planned Police Deployment to Haiti Means for Kenya

Haitian police officers deploy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 9, 2024. 

The government's political transition plan is unlikely to improve the gang-ridden country's deteriorating security crisis, while the potential deployment of U.N.-backed troops may temporarily make it worse.

What's Happening in Haiti?

Media

Podcasts

What is behind Haiti's violent protests, and what do they mean for the country going forward?

Essential Geopolitics: The Implications of Ongoing Violent Unrest in Haiti

A man adds wood to a fire burning in the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Oct. 3 amid protests demanding the resignation of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry. 

Haiti's political, criminal and economic crises will have broader impacts on the region.

Haiti Descends Deeper Into Chaos as Protests Continue

Ariel Henry speaks as he becomes prime minister of Haiti on July 20, 2021, in the capital of Port-au-Prince. Rival claims to Haiti's government would undermine the legitimacy of the electoral process, the economy and the country's security situation.

Rival claims to Haiti's government would undermine the legitimacy of the electoral process, the economy and the country's security situation.

Haiti's Prime Minister Appears to Reject a Transitional Government, Portending Turmoil

In this podcast, we discuss how the devastating effects of a major earthquake followed by a tropical storm will exacerbate Haiti's political crisis.

Essential Geopolitics: Political Turmoil and Natural Disasters Beset Haiti

An Aug. 16, 2021, photo shows a building in Les Cayes, Haiti, that collapsed after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the nation two days earlier. Interim President Ariel Henry will likely use the earthquake to delay elections and coordinate foreign relief efforts to serve his interests.

Interim President Ariel Henry will likely use the earthquake to delay elections and coordinate foreign relief efforts to serve his interests.

Haiti's Earthquake Will Worsen Its Crises, and Help Its Interim President Consolidate Power

Haiti is a small island nation cursed by geography. It is part of the island of Hispaniola, located west of the Dominican Republic. Haiti is a very poor country, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere according to some estimates. Like many other Caribbean states, Haiti began as a European colony and developed after independence in isolation from its neighbors. The modern state of Haiti occupies a geographic area roughly the same as it did at independence.     Haiti owes its existence to the French empire's demand for sugar, which led to centuries of sugar agriculture on the island. To farm the sugar cane, the French imported tens of thousands of slaves from West Africa. It was from these slaves that the modern Haitian nation was born. Haitian slaves rebelled against their masters in 1791, kicking off a decade of insurgency against the French. The revolution ended in 1804 with the expulsion of French forces and Haiti's independence.    Because it lacks profitable minerals (and because the rich aristocracy was destroyed during the violent revolution), Haiti has historically had problems generating capital. The country's origins as a source of sugar and other commodities made it dependent on agriculture for most of its history. The country's mountainous interior made it difficult to conduct profitable agricultural activity. Haiti lies in the United States' near abroad, but its economic development is minimal and its foreign trade remains small by global standards.    Haiti's biggest contemporary challenge is poverty. Haiti was isolated from global trade after its slave rebellion by European powers and the United States, who refused to trade with the newly independent state. During the 20th century, Haiti's persistently chaotic politics led to a temporary U.S. occupation but little in the way of economic development. Not surprisingly, people leave the island in droves every year. Historically, hundreds of thousands of migrants have resettled in the United States, though they are now arriving in South America in larger numbers because of stricter U.S. immigration regulations.

SITUATION REPORTS

Haiti, U.S.: Washington Considers Organization of American States Deployment to Haiti

China, Latin America, Caribbean: Beijing to Boost Credit, Investment, and Regional Ties After China-CELAC Forum

U.S., Haiti: U.S. Designates Major Haitian Gangs as Terrorist Groups

Haiti: U.S. Affirms Support for Multinational Security Support Mission

Haiti: U.S. Informs U.N. of Freeze on Funds for Multinational Security Mission

Haiti: Transitional Presidential Council Dismissed Interim Prime Minister

Haiti: U.N. Security Council Renews Multinational Deployment to Haiti

Haiti: UNSC Considers Extending Multinational Deployment to Combat Gang Violence

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