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Yes, Mr. Crawley...Haiti is poor because of the precursors that were listed above and, also, poor governmental infrasture....

Plus, they have had many dictatorships over the years in Haiti.

-Dennis Junior

Ulster singer Brian Houston says the biggest factor he could see was that there was no concept of servant leadership in the country and that the african tribal mentality meant that every leader who gets in acts like they have won the lottery instead of serving their nation.

There is also the view that voodo makes people too passive and fatalistic to improve their nation and character;-



In voodo the almighty God is completly detached from the world, has no interest in it and cannot be contacted.

Can our impression of God shape our character and the character of a nation?

I believe it can.

Also, slavery has been a terrible legacy on Haiti but at some point either at a national or personal level we have to make a choice to take responsibility.

That is not to mitigate in any way against the support we need to give haiti at present.

Why is Haiti poor?,

Was listening to either 5 Live or the World Service and the blame was laid directly at the feet of the French Colonialists.

Some of you should stick to religion for peddling nonsense. The voodoo thing as a serious factor is a myth. There is a mention of the French responsibility but none of US plunder, occupation and domination. Yes, her own rulers have played a big part too, and Diamond is correct in alluding to environmental considerations. In other words, Haiti's poverty has many causes, not all of them internal.

America has contributed greatly to Haiti's misery both politically and economically. It first exploited the country through occupation, and then gave dictatorial governments aid packages which kept them in power. Aristide's government, elected by 75% of the people, was overthrown by a US-backed coup in 2004.

Economically, neo-liberal policies which have wrecked western economies have been imposed more ruthlessly on Haiti, with disastrous consequences for its own economy. Take rice production. Haiti used to be self-sufficient in rice. The US put pressure on Haiti's governments to remove tariffs on imports of foreign rice in line with 'free market policies' (while it continued protecting its own rice, thus making it cheaper). US rice flooded into Haiti. By the early 1990s Haiti produced barely two thirds of its own rice.

In other words, it's the usual story: if you have the power you make the rules, break them with impunity and moralise to others: do as I say, not as I do. No wonder, individual Americans have pangs of conscience. They know deep down that their economic and political policies have helped to cause the catastrophe.