The terrible earthquake that recently struck Haiti is merely one of many disaster that the small, predominantly black island nation has endured. Today, two very different countries tenuously co-exist on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.

Historically, the island has experienced perhaps more than its fair share of hardship mingled with hidden success stories. And, despite the human misery that a natural disaster can cause, a more grievous wound can occur from the greed and malicious intrusions of  imperialistic conquerors or more recently drug traffickers and international corporations seeking to boost profits.

Centuries ago, the native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Columbus in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation.

In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'Ouverture. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare independence in 1804.

Today, the world news media trumpets that Haiti the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti finally did inaugurate a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006.

Evidence is available on the Web that the major foreign powers have systematically worked to destabilize Haiti for many years. See Project Censored at: http://www.projectcensored.org/

Recently, the following appeared in the New York Times: