The Other Side of Paradise

The recent decision by the Dominican Republic to retroactively revoke the citizenship of an estimated 300,000 Dominicans of Haitian descent raises numerous legal, moral, and humanitarian concerns. This reactionary decision is founded on the combination of a troubling culture of anti-Haitian racism and a downplay of the Dominican Republic's continued demand of migrant labour in its agricultural, construction, and tourist industries.

The recent decision by the Dominican Republic to retroactively revoke the citizenship of an estimated 300,000 Dominicans of Haitian descent raises numerous legal, moral, and humanitarian concerns. This reactionary decision is founded on the combination of a troubling culture of anti-Haitian racism and a downplay of the Dominican Republic's continued demand of migrant labour in its agricultural, construction, and tourist industries.

This October will mark the 25th anniversary of the battle of Cuito Cuanavale – what Isaac Saney has called “Africa’s Stalingrad” due to its central role in striking a fatal blow against the occupation of South West Africa (now Namibia) and kick-starting negotiations with the African National Congress which would soon put an end to the rule of the racist apartheid system in South Africa.

This October will mark the 25th anniversary of the battle of Cuito Cuanavale – what Isaac Saney has called "Africa's Stalingrad" due to its central role in striking a fatal blow against the occupation of South West Africa (now Namibia) and kick-starting negotiations with the African National Congress which would soon put an end to the rule of the racist apartheid system in South Africa.

Earlier this week it was announced that the first contingent of Haitian soldiers had returned from Ecuador after completing their training. This announcement has understandably been met with concern, as Haiti's relationship with its armed forces has been a tortured history of internal repression, consisting of human rights abuses and coup d'états.

Against the wishes of the prevailing drug control regime, last month the government of Uruguay took the first steps to legalize marijuana. Against the backdrop of the failed War on Drugs, it is about time that the countries of the Caribbean come forward with their own individual policies on marijuana which reflects their own national security and development interests—instead of those of the United States.

Against the wishes of the prevailing drug control regime, last month the government of Uruguay took the first steps to legalize marijuana. Against the backdrop of the failed War on Drugs, it is about time that the countries of the Caribbean come forward with their own individual policies on marijuana which reflects their own national security and development interests—instead of those of the United States.

Last week it was announced that the U.S. State Department had suspended aid to St. Lucia's police department due to allegations of serious human rights abuses. It has also had the unintended result of exposing the double standard of the U.S. when it comes to problems of police engaging in extrajudicial killings throughout the region.

According to Michael Evans, Director of the Colombia Project at the National Security Archives, "This may well be the most important collection of records ever assembled on corporate ties to terrorism. This was a massive, years-long investigation that involved multiple federal agencies and resulted in the one of the first convictions of a major US company of financing a terrorist group."

The fallout from the suspicious death of Judge Jean Serge Joseph on July 13 has created a political firestorm for Haitian President Michel Martelly – the likes of which he has not seen during his tumultuous rule. A recently released Senate report calls for Martelly to be charged with high treason for his role in interfering with a high profile corruption case.

At the 34th meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on July 6, a British human rights law firm has been contacted by CARICOM to to seek compensation from some European countries for the horrors of African slavery and the genocide of the region's native peoples.

On July 13, Judge Jean Serge Joseph passed away under suspicious circumstances, sparking controversy within Haiti that his death was related to his involvement in a high-profile corruption investigation against President Michel Martelly's wife Sophia and their son Olivier.