Gonaives. 2000. Salt flats outside the city.
Haiti has had a long and troubled history. Founded in the revolutionary optimism of the early 1800's as the first black republic, this Caribbean country has suffered through a series of coups, counter-coups, and brutal dictatorships for some 200 years. It is by far the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, with poverty levels approaching those of parts of Africa and southeast Asia. Haiti's future remains uncertain. With the return of the democratically-elected Jean Bertrand Aristide to the presidency, Haiti may slowly be moving towards a society of greater freedoms. However Aristide's Lavalas supporters' apparent intimidation of opposition party members in the summer elections by has led to international condemnation of the Haitian electoral process and the suspension of much international aid for this impoverished land. While Aristide appears to be more democratically-minded than some of his military predecessors, it remains unclear what kind of government he expects to create. Haiti remains desperately poor, without any kind of substantial infrastructure, with minimal traditions of freedom of speech or freedom of the press.