Dualist Trade Policies: How the West Exploits Haiti and other Developing Counties

Haiti became the first black republic in 1804 after a long revolt of nearly half a million African slaves revolted under the leadership of Toussaint L’ouverture in the late 18th century. Plagued by a long history of poor political leadership and international trade policies, today Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of its 8.3 million inhabitants living under the poverty line and 54% living in abject poverty.

In 1986, Haiti joined the super-league of trade liberalizers, as deemed by the IMF and World Bank, yet it is the poorest country on the UN rankings of human development. These trade liberalizations that Haiti undertook involved the reduction of tariffs on foreign imports and ending agricultural subsidization. The practice of food dumping (sending excess agricultural produce to countries in the form of exports or food aid) by developed nations and dualist trade policies has been extremely destructive to the Hatian economy. With an influx of cheap, subsidized foreign food, local producers and subsistence farmers are forced out of a livelihood and source of badly needed income. This has led to a rise in malnutrition, illiteracy, and poverty in areas traditionally dependent of subsistence farming. This is not just isolated to Haiti, but is negatively affecting developing countries all over the world. Read more in Oxfam’s "Kicking Down the Door" about how rich countries are walking over the little guys.