Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

United Nations mission personnel in Moulin sur Mer, 1 996
Courtesy Anne Greene
exploited United States hostility toward the Cuban regime of
Fidel Castro and United States fears of communist expansion
in the Caribbean basin in order to deter the United States government
from exerting excessive pressure on his own dictatorship.
Since the 1980s, the United States has been particularly
interested in curbing illegal Haitian immigration. Washington
also has focused on Haiti as a transshipment point for narcotics
destined for United States markets and has undertaken various
efforts to curtail shipments. Between 1986 and 1994, Haitian
army involvement in drug trafficking reduced the effectiveness
of United States efforts. Following the 1996 departure of UN
peacekeeping troops, United States attention to narcotics trafficking
in Haiti has intensified because Haitian coasts have
become particularly vulnerable to international traffickers
seeking to land their product on Hispaniola for transfer to
proximate United States ports of entry, notably Puerto Rico.
From the 1970s until 1987, United States assistance to Haiti
grew. Between 1987 and 1994, however, the flow of assistance to
Haiti was disrupted on several occasions, notably following the
1987 election massacre and during the 1991-94 period of de
facto military rule. Following the restoration of Haiti's legitimate
government in late 1994, the United States added a
pledge of US$458 million to the US$2,342 billion pledged by
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