The International Community and Haiti: A Proposal for Cooperative Sovereignty
Abstract
Haiti is a failed state. It needs a vast amount of international support, and above all, security and a long period of national recovery. Consequently, the international community has a fundamental decision to make. Will it continue to treat Haiti under the assumption of juridical and Westphalian sovereignty, or will it recognize that adherence to this sacred but incomplete principle is the real impediment to building the capacity of national and societal institutions and restoring the badly depleted ecology? Haiti does not have the political and institutional capacity to utilize all of its forms of sovereignty fully. Moreover, juridical sovereignty as a theory of international order has little value to people attempting to survive in an environment of zero sum politics; ever escalating violence; very high unemployment; disease and starvation; and of socioeconomic and ecological ruin beyond description, abetted by what one Haitian intellectual calls "savage deforestation." The notion of sharing or "cooperative sovereignty" with an international body may be deeply unpopular with some people. But it may be the only dignified alternative left, so that domestic sovereignty can be strengthened to such a degree that Haitians can resume full control of their nation at some future date. This would require a multiyear commitment by the United Nations to take over security and administrative responsibilities. The modalities of such an arrangement could be worked out; it must include Haitians in senior positions. There ought to be sufficient military and police forces on the ground to maintain security, prevent violence, disarm the population, protect infrastructure, and to begin nurturing habits of self-reliance rather than self-destruction. A massive ecologically-based strategy to plant trees, restore soil, resuscitate agricultural production, and provide incentives for people to resume a more dignified existence in the countryside would be fundamental.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA520593
Entities
People
- Gabriel Marcella
Organizations
- United States Army War College