Aid State: Elite Panic, Disaster Capitalism, and the Battle to Control Haiti

by Jake Johnston

Haiti’s state is armed groups have overrun the country, many government officials have fled after the 2021 assassination of President Moise and not a single elected leader holds office, refugees desperately set out on boats to reach the US and Latin America, and the economy reels from the after-effects of disasters, both man-made and natural, that destroyed much of Haiti’s infrastructure and institutions. How did a nation founded on liberation—a people that successfully revolted against their colonizers and enslavers—come to such a precipice?

In Aid State , Jake Johnston, a researcher and writer at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, DC, reveals how long-standing US and European capitalist goals ensnared and re-enslaved Haiti under the guise of helping it. To the global West, Haiti has always been a place where labor is cheap, politicians are compliant, and profits are to be made. Over the course of nearly 100 years, the US has sought to control Haiti and its people with occupying police, military, and euphemistically-called peacekeeping forces, as well as hand-picked leaders meant to quell uprisings and protect corporate interests. Earthquakes and hurricanes only further devastated a state already decimated by the aid industrial complex.

Based on years of on-the-ground reporting in Haiti and interviews with politicians in the US and Haiti, independent aid contractors, UN officials, and Haitians who struggle for their lives, homes, and families, Aid State is a conscience-searing book of witness.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Economics, Audiobook

370 pages, Hardcover

Published January 30, 2024

About the author

Jake Johnston is Senior Research Associate at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C. and has been the leading writer for the center’s Haiti: Relief and Reconstruction Watch website since February 2010, just weeks after a 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Nation, ABC News, Boston Review, Truthout, and The Intercept, and elsewhere. He grew up in Portland, Maine and lives in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

[Viral · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book from the new books section from my library because I wanted to learn more about Haiti's struggles in the post-2010 earthquake recovery. Haiti has been making news recently for tensions in the capital, and I remember in 2021 when the President was assassinated.

About 24 hours after I grabbed this book, the President of Haiti announced he was stepping down. So it shot up to the top of my TBR.

This was an excellently researched book about how modern neoliberal forces have oppressed Haiti and turned it, and the aid money that poured into Haiti after 2010, into a cash cow for a disparate network of non profits and contracting firms. At the center of this story is the Clintons. As Secretary of State and the UN Envoy for Haiti, respectively, Hillary and Bill used their considerable clout to straight up rig the elections in Haiti and control the dispersal of aid after the earthquake through the Clinton Foundation that ensured that things have only gotten worse across the nation in the last 14 years. If only our conversation around the email scandal had focused on this (as many of these details are revealed in said emails).

This book closes with Moise's assassination and the rise of Ariel Henry (and the cloud of suspicion around Henry's likely role in the assassination). With Henry losing control of the military and announcing that he's stepping down, this book is only more pertinent than ever before. As tens of thousands of Haitians come to America seeking asylum, it is more important than ever to know the role of the U.S. in keeping Haiti poor and underdeveloped. Very approachable and accessible. Highly highly recommend.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a subject that I did not know very much about and that made much of the information in this book practically mind-blowing. I could hardly believe the levels of corruption, and to know who and why it was perpetrated had my blood boiling for the people who most needed the help to improve their conditions. Hindsight is 20/20 and also being able to look at everything afterwards as a big picture, and so much of what's been happening in Haiti since 2010 is heart-breaking and anger-inducing. That this has even been allowed to happen in the way that it has is infuriating. That people and companies continued to make money when the Haitian people suffered so much is unacceptable. It definitely gave me a sense of shame knowing that the US had a big hand in these affairs and injustices. I hope more people will read this book. It was an eye-opening experience to be sure.

[Michael Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid book about international development and the dependency and negative effect when implemented incorrectly. I didn’t know a lot about Haiti and this was a great introduction and perspective on American power and the idea of a non-profit/foreign aid and its implications. Really answers the question of what happens when aid is not implemented correctly.

[Ari Damoulakis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, let me first start by saying this book is good because it demonstrates the US and world mistakes in mishandling the distribution of aid and help they give to Haiti, especially to the ordinary people.
Because of this, many people illegally try get from Haiti to the US.
Now here is the reason why I gave this book such a low rating.
Maybe I am just not bright enough that I can’t see it, but the structure and chronology of this book is terrible.
It seemed to go all over the place, my brain felt like a pinball. I couldn’t really create a great structure in my mind of how the events, people and history of the book and aid fit together.
Really was so irritating to try read and concentrate and get many of the points.

[Doe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is well researched & proposes a reasonable rationale for the failures of the aid state. I did find it difficult to follow because the narration becomes circular at times and is frustrating to follow because he starts with the conclusion and then follows with the background for it (sometimes he does not).
There are also a series of implications made that rely on a certain level of assumed knowledge from the reader; I had to pause at multiple points to look up the characters mentioned, and get a sense for the chronological order of who came after who at what event.
Maybe the author’s target are people intimately familiar with Haiti’s recent history & underlying political climate.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very eye opening look at what been happening in/to Haiti for the past 100 years or more. Who is really controlling what going on in the country? Do the citizens have any say in their future? It turns out hurricanes and earthquakes are not the only issues affecting Haiti and why the situation never improves. Jake Johnston has done a great job of providing us with a look behind the scenes at the real tragedies affecting Haiti. Excellent book. I won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway!

[Amaya Anzola · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5-5/5. I think development-led conversations, about a country, a crisis, or even a smaller topic try their best to simplify. To find the root, to find a cause, to find a solvable problem. Where Aid State most succeeds is in complicating this narrative. There is nothing simple, nothing linear about the Aid State in Haiti and the imperial legacies that are perpetuated through the actions of the international community across issue areas, across crises, and beyond. It is a work of reflection, as clear as it is complicated.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to help me understand the meaning of the current situation, and remind me of the past 14 years. Before reading this, I read If We Burn by Vincent Bevins , which covered the same timespan about the uprisings in South America & Africa.

[Thomas Shevis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book on Haiti. It mostly focuses on the influence and foreign management of the country that impedes true economic or social recovery after recent natural disasters, but also touches on some of the history of the country, including some things I didn't know, like how the US occupied Haiti at the start of the twentieth century. It truly is a prime example of disaster capitalism and racism that has ruined what would otherwise have been a prosperous country after they achieved independence from France.

[Sara G · Rating 5 out of 5]

***ARC received from Wednesday Books and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

In 2010 a devastating earthquake struck Haiti following by multiple aftershocks in the days following. From miles away the world watched in distress, hearing reports on the ground about how the poorest nation in the world needed the help from communities. And communities turned out in waves, myself included, donated through a simple text messages to go directly to helping the Haitian people. Aid State takes a critical look at the outcome of that influx of aid and the history of how the US and the world has tried to “help” the people of Haiti.

Bringing it back to the earthquake what was the most frustrating thing about reading about the aid that poured into Haiti was that it came with good intentions, many of the people like myself really did think that what we were donating toward was helping the Haitian people not only recover but to begin to rebuilt after what happened to their country. But to many interests got in involved, too many with their own intentions. It wasn’t about setting the Haitian people up for a successful recovery, it was about making them continue to rely on foreign aid. Instead of purchasing food from local famers so they could buy seeds for their next harvest, food that would go to feed people that had been forced from their homes by the earthquake foreign aid food fed them. Outside companies said they would give the farmers seeds instead of the funds to purchase them themselves. Demonstrating how just a single year of changes can have a long lasting impact. Sure it makes the company offering look good but it is about them looking good, not about helping the people. The book does a good job of balancing the good of wanting to help and how it can go so bad.

There is a lot of focus on the Clintons and how they seem to treat Haiti as some project that is ultimately about making themselves look better. Maybe there come from a place of genuinely wanting to help the country but it seems to forget the people that live in it and that it is not about them. The Clintons and many other agencies want to do it for themselves, to be the ones to solve the problem in Haiti but it just creates a society reliant on outside aid. I never felt like the book was singling them out but it cannot be denied that they are large players in the aid game in Haiti

While the book starts with the Earthquake it covers the history of Haiti from its independence from the French up through present day followed the assassination of Jovenel Moise in 2021. How the dictatorship of the Duvaliers hangs heavy over the country as it is trying to recover. It also dives into the way their government is run, a fascinating look at how outside countries exert their will when it comes to candidates and how the election is run. Yes its a mess but its not a mess on its own, there are outside forces that are at play helping to to be an even bigger mess. The history presented in the book does a good job of casting a good picture that makes it easy to understand how Haiti ended up where it did.

One of the things that really stuck with me is the idea that Haiti is not a failed state, to be a failed state one has to be given the chance to fail. Haiti has always had someone interfering with them, long before the current state of basically holding the country hostage through aid in an attempt to help them. Even during the brutal rule of Duvalier aid has been used as a tool in order to control to the government of Haiti and the people.

Haiti deserves the right to pave their own path, without countries putting conditions on aid to do as they want or else, without the UN enforcing its will in the name of peacekeeping. If that results in their failure and having to rebuilt it will at least be on their own terms which is something every independent country, which is what Haiti is despite what people may want people to think, has a right to.

[Lorraine A Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but the author’s leftist bias oozes throughout the book. Over $10billion in our taxes we paid are gone not to help the helpless people of this Caribbean land but to line the pockets of the purveyors of aid.

Corruption in Haiti’s government comes from Obama and Clinton’s island deals. The country is being used by deep pocketed drug lords, elite generational landowners buying protection and further influence, selfish NGOs and corporations seeing crisis as a way to make millions and abandoning the work halfway through if that. The UN brought deadly disease and child sex trafficking rings to the country. Haiti has deforestation due to the Haitians’ ancestors cutting down trees to appease the French leading to poor soil and mudslides during torrential rainstorms. What disgusts me the most are Haitian gangs raping and pillaging their own people creating anarchy. Earthquake fault lines run through highly populated areas, lack of clean water, food, electricity and education all deliver a wasteland of misery.

Most people practice voodoo or a Catholic brand of the occult. I pray they will seek God. Only He can help them now.

[Rohit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent analysis of Haitian politics and society after the 2010 earthquake, and the malevolent role played by US elites and aid organizations. Plus some good background information about Haitian politics in the '90s and '00s and the struggles between the Haitian elite, the US, and Jean-Bertrand Aristide and Haitian popular social movements.

The writing and focus points tends to be a bit scattered and hard to follow at times; reads more like a collection of journalism stories that goes back and forth in time, sometimes getting lost in the details of a particular case study while not really fleshing out the wider context. Still, overall a worthwhile read, and particularly timely too, as the "Aid State" of the 2010s has now basically completely collapsed.

[Mark Rimelspach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very timely book on the history of Haiti and outside forces which manipulate and control it.

[Marcus Bader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johnston takes the reader on a journey similar to that of Odysseus, in that he makes several strong points but also spends just as much time working around his own circular logic and biases. Some harsh language and some derisive physical descriptions gives the writing a decidedly millennial character, photocopied from the playbook of an onerous Twitter activist. Despite the harsh delivery, the reader is able to learn plenty from the reading, even if the information is force-fed.

Several noteworthy moments from my own reading included a description of the routes migrants have been pushed towards in recent years, "through the Amazon rain forest, across the treacherous Darien Gap from Colombia into Panama, and then up Central America crossing another five borders" (237). Being a young person myself, when I had last read about the Darien Gap several short years ago, it was notorious for being 'essentially impassable', and yet now upwards of half a million migrants made the trek in 2023. The most sobering statistic Johnston found was that 10% of people “knew someone who had had a child with a UN soldier” (258). If a prospective reader is only looking for a collection of knowledge, and is able to look past shortcomings in the composition, than I suppose it would be a good read.

Personally, I did not enjoy reading this book, I did not appreciate the matter in which content is organized, and I did not appreciate the author's 'holier than thou' tone. However, I understand Johnston is not trying to captivate the audience with some kind of self-resolving story arc, and for that, the book earns three stars from me. The unpleasantness is the point, I suppose, and recognizing that, I do concede Johnston's book provides plenty of information for someone willing to seek it out.

(The reading of this book and the review were done for a college class I am taking, which discusses the history and culture of Haiti.)

[Ryan Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

9.5/10

From the 2010 earthquake to the 2021 assassination of Jovenal Moïse, Aid State recounts a decade of the “International Community” (United States) smothering any attempt at progress in the island nation until all that's left is violent gangsterism presiding over garment sweatshops and drug running for export to Amerika.

The 2010 earthquake came during the UN occupation’s years-long attempt to remove the popular center-left Fanmi Lavalas from power. The earthquake was a natural disaster pre-text needed to rig the next year's elections, allowing Michel Martelly’s thinly cloaked neo-Duvalierism to come to power.

This slow return of the most brutal people of the Duvalier-era had technically unofficial yet extensive support from the United States. Indeed, U.S. policy towards Haiti was meant to guarantee two things. 1: That a fragile veneer of democracy stems the tide of Haitian immigrants fleeing a failed state (created by Amerika) 2: That Haitians only be allowed to organize themselves, domestically, along U.S. friendly lines, aka zero popular development, with strong preference for working in one of Bill Clinton-sponsored Walmart slave plantations. In this the Obama administration is culpable, and its officials should be prosecuted, so to speak, for allowing and encouraging Haiti’s descent.

When we look at Haiti now, with the capital controlled by gangs, normalized civilian massacres and Haitians fleeing en masse, this book emphasizes that this is entirely the fault of the United States and its collaborators internationally and on the ground in Haiti. It was the U.S. that chose the slow decay of Haiti’s democratic process over even a little redistribution and popular development. Tangentially related, I believe the fate of Haitians in the Americas is deeply tied to the fate of the Americas and the world overall. Shades of Gaza.

[Woody R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book a while ago, so some observations I will make could be wrong or inaccurate. I think it was a well written inquiry into the failings of the entire aid community apparatus, and reading it can be particularly useful in those times, that is, just after the collapse of the Haitian state and the dismantling of USAID by President Trump, for both people opposing and supporting foreign aid.
The book starts by describing the reaction of the then-president of Haiti, René Préval, after the disastrous earthquake which shook Haiti in January 12th, 2010; after that the book jumps back and forth between Haiti’s past and present, in order to underline how the small country became so dependent on foreign aid, without seeming to achieve economic development and true political sovereignty.
What condemned the small country were both the meddling of foreign powers, such as France in the 19th century and the US in the 20th century, the entrenchment of a conservative and corrupt political and economic elite into power, and the lack of transparency of NGOs (like the Clinton Foundation) and multinational corporations (such as Chemonics International) which dealt with spending the money, and also the UN, whose forces, under the “MINUSTAH” mission, committed violations of human rights during their stay in the island.
I was expecting to read something about how to reform the foreign aid sector, and I think it would have been better to follow a more chronological order for the narration, but nevertheless the book caught my attention all the way until the end - (the book, by the way, ends with the murder of president Moise).

[Ula Tardigrade · Rating 4 out of 5]

“For two centuries Haiti has been a mirror of morality held up to the world. And we continue to fail the test. Analyzing US policy in Haiti means confronting the hypocrisy at the core of our own origin story”.

This quote from the prologue nicely sums up the premise of this book. The author, a researcher with years of experience on the ground, describes in painful detail the effects of decades of Western intervention in Haiti. While the core story focuses on the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake, you can also learn a lot about the history of the region, the mechanics of U.S. government and diplomacy, and the perils of capitalism and neoliberalism. It was very insightful, my only complaint is that I was sometimes unnerved by a clear bias of the author - don't get me wrong, the book is well sourced and I don't blame him for his anger, but I prefer a more balanced, journalistic approach.

Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

[Samuel Srivastava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep dive into the machinations behind the effort to restore and "stabilize" Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake. This book provides some fascinating insights into the ulterior motives of foreign donors and corruption that occurred during the repair process, painting an enlightening picture of how a full-throated restoration was never the ultimate goal. It takes us step-by-step through the compounding errors that occurred, from the denial of democracy in the name of stability to the supersession of the government in terms of who controlled the aid and where it went. The US intervention in Haiti did not start nor end with its efforts after the earthquake, and the chronicled events should serve as a reminder of the enduring and shameful history and fallout of the repeated interference with the nation. A read that should encourage ourselves to think about the underlying causes of states so often referred to as "failed", thinking not just about domestic, but also foreign factors.

[Gary Detrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was written well. A bit complicated for me to follow at first. So many organizations and donor countries, etc., and their purposes behind the scenes unfolded as you read along.
I was looking to get some insight on the Haitian culture and the problems affecting them. Due to increased immigration in our local city, I wanted to try and understand more of what was going on.
Well, this book gave woke me up to some insight for sure, continuing to effect my faith in the leadership of our own country, all parties included. I won't dwell on that though; that is for another discussion. You as a reader will be equally disgusted.
I the end, we are still left with unfinished results and questions. I hope a true and honest change can be made for the common people of their state.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw the aftermath of the earthquake at an IMAX theatre. The devastation was so mind boggling I had to cry. This year I read Black AF History and learned about the revolution of the slaves in Haiti and when they achieved their freedom they had to pay France for THEMSELVES. So when I saw this book I had to read it. The rose colored glasses are off. I am appalled at how our government has handled the nation. I never realized "foreign aid" is give to a needy country or after a disaster with the attitude of "how will it help ME and how much money can I suck out of it?". No wonder there are countries that despise us.

[Roo O'brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, authoritatively written book on the disaster that was post-earthquake reconstruction in Haiti. Noone comes out of it well really. Johnston does have a clear viewpoint and sometimes he falls into the Pilger style of journalism where the US is always the evil empire preventing the noble community groups from creating paradise. Certainly, his conclusion seems to be that the UN, USAID and Washington should leave Haitians alone to run their own business. That’s basically what’s happening now… so let’s hope that he is right.

[Andrea Wenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This enlightening book exposes the historical entanglement of Haitian interests with US and European capitalist powers. It reveals a pattern of exploitation dressed as aid, compounded by natural disasters. The book is fascinating and easy to read, but also heart-wrenching. It demonstrates the need to work at a grass-roots level to give the people of Haiti control over their own destiny.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Apronk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A damning review of U.S. and the "Aid State's" involvement in post-2008 earthquake Haiti. Unsurprising as it may be to some, the so-called defenders of democracy prop up the most anti-democratic economic and political structures one could dream up, all why the demands of Haitians go far to the wayside. Glimmers of hope, but not on the side of D.C. involvement.

Hilary and Clinton World emails make for shocking reading thanks to Johnston's research and Wikileaks. The emails strike again!

[Oksana · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's wild, it's terrifying, it's shocking and in Haiti's case, it's all true. Humanitarian efforts and goals corrupted and corroded by US (looking at you Clintons) and other foreign actors.

I picked this up as an ARC at my local bookstore and never suspected I'd be so thoroughly informed and changed by a book. Johnston provides a detailed narrative on how exactly the many foreign hands had continuously meddled in Haiti's politics and ruined the lives of its citizens.

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick impressions: This is a good book to help readers understand the Haitian collapse recently and the history that led to this point. The book mainly covers from the 2010 earthquake to the assassination of the most recent president, at the time, President Jovenel Moïse.

(Detailed review with reading notes available on my blog soon.)

[Angela]

WOW. WOW wow wow.

Worth the slow read bc this was certainly a subject I knew pretty much NOTHING about. Covers not only the disaster and response but goes pre- and post to give context and examines what the response meant in a larger context.

Highly recommend.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and considered, though I wish more connections were made regarding Haiti's present to its pre-Preval past. Author covers a lot of ground and sometimes it might be useful to take a step back and take a broader perspective. Great book, though.

[Peter Z. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Previously known as "the country used by the Clinton Foundation to launder then steal millions of dollars"

[Natalie Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and a critical read for anybody who cares about Haiti (& also, I’d argue, for anybody who pays taxes in the U.S.)

[Ronda Canary · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7