Background to why I think the US should be in Haiti for as long as it takes.

The Haitian revolution

Before independence in 1801, the island of Hispaniola, now comprising Haiti and the Dominican Republic, was divided between French Saint-Domingue and Spanish Santo Domingo. The island became the principle exporter of sugar and coffee, which were grown on plantations farmed by almost 800,000 slaves, and provided half of European imports of both products.

The French Revolution saw the "Declaration of the Rights of Man", which enshrined equality without mention of race. Notable "gens de couleurs" (freed slaves, often of mixed race) campaigned to be given the vote accordingly, but were refused by the elite "grands blancs", leading to an unsuccessful insurgency in 1790. On 14 August 1791, revolution spread among Haiti's black slaves, precipitated by a voodoo priest leading a slave uprising in the North following a religous ceremony. After three years of civil war, the French authorities abolished slavery in 1794.

The end of slavery gained the loyalty of many black commanders to France, who defended the country against the British during the Revolutionary Wars. Most notable was Toussaint L'Ouverture, still considered one of the father's of the nation, who invaded Spanish Santo Domingo, uniting the island and freeing its remaining slaves. Buoyed by victory, he declared national autonomy from France with the constitution of 1801, under which he would rule as governor for life.

Haiti's declaration of independence led to an expedition by a Napoleonic army to recapture the island, which was supported by some "gens de couleur" who feared the growing confidence of the "noirs" (African ex-slaves). L'Ouverture attempted to cut a deal with the French expedition, but was betrayed and imprisoned in France. Once it emerged that Napoleon intended to restore slavery, many turned against the French. Led by Jean Jacques Dessalines, they defeated a French army plagued by yellow fever. Dessalines declared full independence in 1801.

American relations with Haiti

After Haiti won independence from France in 1801, fearing the slave revolt might spread to the United States, Congress imposed a trade embargo on the country in 1806. The US did not recognise Haitian independence until 1862.

In the 20th century, the US regularly intervened in Haitian affairs. Between 1915 and 1934, the American military occupied the country. American marines were brutal in their suppression of resistance to the US, and were found to have killed 3,250 Haitians by a US inquiry. However, this was a period of relative economic prosperity for the country.

From 1957, the US supported the dictatorships of "Papa Doc" and "Baby Doc" Duvalier. Fearing Cuban influence, they provided these repressive rulers with military and economic aid, which they freezed only temporarily in response to their greatest outrages.

The end of the Duvalier dictatorships in 1986 brought on a fragile transition to democracy, marked by the election of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was then deposed in a coup after a vote of no confidence led him to attempt to rule without parliamentary support. Although the Clinton administration reinstated the felled Aristide government in 1994, it remained frustrated at the pace of privatisation. George W Bush's 2004 intervention in Haiti - in which, in all likeliness, the US orchestrated the deposition of Aristide - has been widely interpreted as an attempt to restore the pace of economic liberalisation.

Race and class

Before independence, French rule established a tripartite racial caste system, comprised of "blancs" (divided into richer "grand blancs" and poorer "petit blancs"), "gens de couleur" (free men, usually mixed race) and the "noirs", African slaves who made up 90% of the population. The "grand blancs" themselves agitated for independence to avoid paying taxes to France.

The "Code Noir", governing the treatment of slaves, sanctioned the use of corporal punishment against slaves, many of whom were regularly beaten and maltreated.

Independent Haitian governments have varied between being defenders of the mixed race elite and radical supporters of the black poor. After independence, Dessalines banned white people owning property in Haiti and the murders of white plantation owners outraged Europe and America. Jean Pierre Boyer, president from 1818 to 1843, depended on the elite, whereas the Duvaliers purported to represent the black poor. Class tensions still divide Haiti, with the slum dwellers of the Cite Soleil providing a recalcitrant bastion of support for ousted President Aristide.

Poverty

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. Over half of Haitians live on under $1 per day. The average income per person is just $2 per day. One half have no running water in their homes, and two thirds have no proper sanitation.

According to the World Bank, Haiti ranks only just above Sudan and Somalia in "respect for rule of law" and "government effectiveness".

A series of natural disasters - 15 since 2001 - have exacerbated poverty. Hurricanes, mudslides and now this devastating earthquake. Haiti has been almost totally deforested as poor urban Haitians have harvested wood for charcoal. This has made the country even more susceptible to the ravages of its climate.