Tom--

You are right, of course. DOD always treated Haiti as if it were a slice of Africa in the Americas. All the army attaches were Africa FAOs. I wonder - do you know - if State did the same?

Regarding the DLI instructor: His comment suggests something inherent in Haitian culture. Indeed, many scholars of Haiti - both Haitian and outsiders - have labeled Haitian culture as being predatory. This smacks of cutural deteminism which, as one old anthro prof, David Bidney, argued truly overstates the issue. The problem I see is that I don't have any answer for Haiti other than a long term "trusteeship" (nice word for colonial rule) in which power is devolved form the local to the national level as the culture is changed.



On that cheery note

JohnT