[honkdaddy]

I think it's completely reasonable to look at the country which they share an island with, Dominican Republic, and ask questions about why one has fared so much differently than the other. The countries share almost identical geographical attributes, yet the average Dominican is 10x richer than the average Haitian.

Central American colonial history is incredibly fascinating but also very tragic.

[blueline]

Did the Dominican Republic have to pay outrageous reparations to their former enslavers? You know, the thing this article was about?

[honkdaddy]

Obviously, and it's pretty juvenile and reddity to imply I hadn't even read the article, thanks. It might surprise you that there's actually a lot more to Haiti's post-colonial history than just the debt the French tried to call in.

30 years of rule under the Duvalier dynasty held Haiti back in the 20th century much, much more than the country's central debt, but I understand the urge to direct the blame the struggles to one specific cause instead.

[thylacine222]

And the Duvalier regime is entirely on the Haitian people? The history of Haiti in the 20th century is impossible to separate from the major world power next door. The US has been nearly constantly involved in controlling Haitian politics, including literal invasions, and absolutely not for the benefit of the Haitian people, but to ensure that no other powers grew in the Caribbean region that could threaten its power.