Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

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BORN OF REVOLUTIONARY violence and plagued by socioeconomic
deterioration, Haiti has not succeeded in building
permanent civilian institutions capable of exercising control
over the military establishment. Until 1994 the armed forces
had been a pillar of Haitian society based on an institutional
cohesion that other organizations lacked. The military leadership
acted with relative autonomy as a kind of government in
reserve, ready to intervene in crises when civilian authority
broke down.
Upon his return to power in 1994 after three years of military
rule, the elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, took
the bold step of abolishing the armed forces. Although Haiti
never before had a police force independent of the army, the
country's security was entrusted to the newly created Haitian
National Police (Police Nationale d'Haiti—PNH) under the
supervision of civilians having no previous experience in matters
of public safety. The evolution of the PNH into a professional,
competent force for public order may be pivotal to the
future of democratic government in Haiti.
Until the United States occupation in 1915, much of Haiti's
history had been the story of competing mercenary bands
cacos) and peasant groups {piquets) , who fought a ramshackle
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military. The most visible product of the occupation turned out
to be the Garde d'Haiti, which evolved into the Armed Forces
of Haiti (Forces Armees d'Haiti—FAd'H)
Under his autocratic rule, Francois Duvalier (1957-71)
shrewdly brought the FAd'H under his control while ruthlessly
suppressing all opposition groups. As a counterweight to the
army's power, a sinister paramilitary organization was created—the
Volunteers for National Security (Volontaires de la
Securite Nationale—VSN)—to protect the regime and enforce
its directives. During the tenure of Francois Duvalier's son,
Jean-Claude Duvalier (1971-86), a reconstituted officer corps
emerged, restoring the balance with the VSN.
After popular discontent forced Duvalier into exile, a succession
of military coups and periods of internal military feuding
were followed by the election of Aristide in 1990 (inaugurated
1991). Although police functions traditionally had been the
responsibility of the army, Aristide's intention to introduce a
separate police force was unacceptable to the FAd'H leadership
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