By Juan Cruz and Ana Quintana join Flash Focus guest host Carrie Filipetti to dissect the unfolding crisis in the Caribbean island nation. For months, unrest has been growing and violence has escalated in the streets. Meanwhile, Haiti’s prime minister is trapped in Puerto Rico, Kenya has promised to send a security force to the island, and the United States has promised financial support.
Juan Cruz is a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and has previously served in government for 30 years, including on the National Security Council. Ana Quintana is the Vandenberg Coalition’s Senior Policy Director. She was formerly the Staff Director for Western Hemisphere for House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX).
Jump to:
00:01:33 Background—what is going on in Haiti?
00:03:30 Haiti’s chaos goes back a long time
00:03:55 Who is leading Haiti and why is the prime minister stuck in Puerto Rico?
00:05:40 What is the United States’ national interest in Haiti? Why does it matter to us?
00:08:11 Difficulties of a foreign military presence in Haiti & the Biden administration’s support for a Kenyan-led security force
00:10:24 U.S. UN Ambassador: “the U.S. is committed to providing the mission to Haiti what it needs to succeed”—are we?
00:12:15 There is no clear plan from the Biden administration
00:13:52 What should the United States and other interested parties be doing differently?
