Haiti's Predatory Republic: The Unending Transition to Democracy

Observers of Haiti's political, social and economic development will be brought to reality by Dr. Fatton's work. "The process of democratization that has marked the modern history of Haiti.... suggest that the transition from authoritarianism to populism was a function of the ascendancy of the civil society and, in particular, popular civil society," says Fatton (pp. 1-2). He argues that the classical model adopted for the democratization of Haiti has many inherent weaknesses. While it may have removed military authoritarianism, it has retained the institutionalized structures of dictatorship, legacies of the State, which are deeply entrenched in the society. Consequently, the Country today, has an unconsolidated, dysfunctional democracy which is characterized by brutality, and the treachery of the bourgeoisie who monopolizes state power and wealth. This is what Fatton deems to be a "Predatory democracy." Dr. Fatton is of Haitian ancestry or Haitian by birth. He appears to write not only for the Haitian people but also as one of them. He is a brilliant intellectual and scholar, not a revolutionary like "Old"Toussaint, Dessalines or Regaud, the lesser. However, his predictive skills as a political scientist are brilliant. I do not share all of Dr. Fatton's views on Aristide, bearing in mind the historical difficulties facing that Country and the obvious geo-political problems of that region. The work is fairly easy to read. I highly recommend it to students and general readers. See also: Roots of Haitian Despotism In-Dependence from Bondage: Claude McKay and Michael Manley: Defying the Ideological Clash and Policy Gaps in African Diaspora Relations The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution

This book presents a very thorough explanation of the political situation in Haiti since the fall of the Duvaliers. Because it was published in 2002 it obviously does not discuss the most recent events in Haiti, but the book is a very useful tool in understanding what is going on in that country now. The author actually predicted the events of Jan-Feb 2004 as a possibility of what could happen in that country. I give it a 4-star rating because the language is somewhat dense; the book is not for the casual reader.