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  Slavery’s Echo in Haiti’s Present Chaos: Parallels and Courage in the Shadow of Dessalines By Patrick Prézeau Stephenson*  (Le Français suit) Introduction: The Chains Reforged PORT-AU-PRINCE — September 30, 2025. In the crumbling heart of Port-au-Prince, where gangs rule and fear has become the air Haitians breathe, there is a haunting resonance with a past most hoped to outrun. Today, as armed factions carve the country into fiefdoms, the specter of slavery—its psychic wounds and societal fractures—returns, not in the lash of overseers, but in the tyranny of desperation, violence, and resignation. Parallel Realities: Slavery’s Legacy and Haiti’s Modern Captivity Two centuries ago, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the fierce liberator of Haiti, thundered before his soldiers: « Je ne veux garder avec moi que des braves. Que ceux qui veulent redevenir des esclaves français sortent du fort. Que ceux, au contraire, qui veulent mourir en hommes libres se rangent autour...

  Honor and Hope: Smith Augustin Named Honorary President of Haiti’s “Challenge des Écoles Citoyennes” By Patrick Prézeau Stephenson Port-au-Prince (Le Français suit)   In a sunlit room at the Villa d’Accueil this Friday, Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council member Smith Augustin received a rare honor: the title of Honorary President for the “Challenge des Écoles Citoyennes,” a flagship initiative of the Fondation STO aimed at nurturing civic duty and patriotism among Haiti’s youth.   The moment, marked by the presentation of a Certificate Honneur et Mérite by Raymond F. Lerebours, President of the Fondation STO, signals a pivotal shift for the program. With Augustin’s backing, organizers hope to propel the challenge from a grassroots movement to a national priority.   “This recognition opens new perspectives to strengthen our action and give the Challenge des Écoles Citoyennes national visibility and official recognition,” Lerebours said. The pro...

  Haiti’s Plea at the UN: Emotion, Applause, and the Hard Politics of International Inaction By Patrick Prézeau Stephenson* (Le Français suit)   President Laurent St-Cyr’s address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday was nothing short of a masterclass in emotional persuasion. Delivered with gravitas and hope, his speech culminated in “des chaleureux applaudissements” from assembled delegates—a moment that, fleetingly, seemed to unite the room in solidarity with Haiti’s suffering and resilience. Yet, behind the applause lies a much harsher political reality. The Power—and Limits—of Emotional Appeals St-Cyr’s words painted a vivid tableau of Haiti’s agony: children denied education, families exiled by violence, hospitals shuttered, and the dignity of women and girls violated. His rhetoric was laced with universal values—development, peace, and human dignity—meant to pierce the conscience of world leaders. The impact was palpable; delegates responded not with indiff...

  Building a 10K-Strong Army in Haiti: A Strategic Investment for National Security and Stability (update) By Patrick Prézeau Stephenson (Le Français suit)   Port-au-Prince & New York, September 2025  — As Haiti’s CPT President convenes with diaspora leaders in New York during this week’s United Nations General Assembly, the conversation on reconstructing Haiti’s armed forces has taken on renewed urgency. With the nation still gripped by insecurity and the economic costs of instability mounting, a robust military is increasingly seen as a keystone for Haiti’s recovery and long-term stability. Updated Cost-Benefit Analysis: 2025 Perspective In 2023, the socio-economic toll of insecurity in Haiti was estimated at $1.5 billion. Adjusting for two years of inflation (averaging 5% annually, based on standardized equipment procurement trends and reported cost escalations), the cost figures for building and maintaining a 10,000-strong army now warrant a fresh look. ...

  Mapping the New Political Police-Military-Civil “Victims” Coalition in Haiti’s Psyche: A Critical Analysis By Patrick Prézeau Stephenson (Le Français suit) September 25, 2025   Introduction: The Birth of UMPOPOV and the Politics of Victimhood In Port-au-Prince, as Haiti staggers under the weight of political decay, rampant insecurity, and institutional collapse, the launch of the “Union Militaire Police Population Victime” (UMPOPOV) by former police commissioner Patrick Belizaire marks a new chapter in the nation’s civic response to crisis. UMPOPOV’s ambition—to unite military, police, and victims into a singular front for intellectual and cultural renewal—appears, at first glance, a welcome antidote to the inertia plaguing Haiti’s body politic. Yet, beneath the surface, the framing of this coalition exposes fault lines in the Haitian psyche, perpetuating a “victimization mindset” that risks constraining the national narrative and impeding genuine progress. ...