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Image - Addressing Governance Challenges in Haiti

Haiti: Where the Descendants of Slaves Paid the Descendants of Slaveholders

Haiti, one of the world’s poorest countries, was forced to pay France 112 million francs (approximately $560 million in today’s money) for recognition of its independence and sovereignty.

What do Americans think of when they hear the name “Haiti?” They may be aware that it has received more than its share of natural disasters over the years, from tornados to hurricanes to earthquakes (and more). They may have read some of the many stories of extraordinarily violent criminal gangs being in control of neighborhoods and communities. What very few Americans realize is that Haiti’s early post-colonial development was largely destroyed when the country was straddled with a crushing debt it was forced to take on by outside powers.

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Concrete arch dam in the Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi river basin between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Not-So-Renewable Energy in Zambia

Zambia gets 85% of its electricity from hydropower. It’s now on the verge of approving its third coal-fired power plant in a year.

Hydropower is easily the world’s largest source of renewable electricity. It contributes more in low-carbon power production than wind, solar, geothermal, and bioenergy combined. And it meets more than half of the national electricity needed in 28 developing countries, home to approximately 800 million people. Nowhere is hydropower’s significance as a renewable energy source greater than in Sub-Saharan Africa, where it accounts for nearly one-quarter of all electricity produced.

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Farm laborers weigh sacks of harvested coca leaves on a field in the Micay Canyon, southwestern Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. The Micay Canyon connects the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, serving as a corridor for drug and weapons trafficking. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Colombia's Cocaine Moment of Truth

In 2023, Colombians cultivated coca leaves on over 250,000 hectares of land—10% more land than the preceding year and the most in more than 20 years.

What happens in, and from, Colombia has long affected life in the United States. American culture has been enriched by the many contributions of Colombians like Shakira, Carlos Vives, and Sofia Vergara, and productions like Disney’s Encanto. And where would we be without Colombian coffee? But it’s also true that the illicit side of Colombia—its status as the world’s largest producer of cocaine—has significantly impacted the US.

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Author

Ambassador Mark A. Green

President & CEO, Wilson Center

One Woodrow Wilson Plaza
1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20004-3027

Phone: (202) 691-4000

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