Peter Bäckman, CSyP, AMBCI, CEO of TEDCAP explores the landscape of instability in Haiti and posits a potential solution for its recovery.

How did Haiti go from being the first Black nation, the first republic in the Americas, a wealthy sponsor of American independence movements, to being a model of state failure?

Many factors have been at play in its long history. Continuous foreign interventions, violent and corrupt dictatorships, massive debt and natural catastrophes have created a context of integrated security risks, making it difficult to identify a common factor and discern a simple and linear solution.

It has been evident that the lack of self-determination cannot be combated with the great frustration of Haitian nationals for their own development, just as there is no doubt that Haiti as a failed state presents an international threat and requires external intervention. So how can these two approaches be reconciled?

A failing state?

We have been on the ground in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake devastated the frail infrastructure of an already exacerbated situation, providing executive protection and advising private and public institutions on how to navigate the security context. Then, the distinction needed to be made on whether Haiti was a failing state or if it had already crossed the point of no-return.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international observers and organizations operating in the country had a careful optimism that the massive outpour of international assistance would provide much needed relief and stabilize the social and political unrest.

However, after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise and the rise of ethnocentric nationalism in the neighboring Dominican Republic, where we have worked for over 15 years, it became clear that Haiti was headed towards a failed state. After that, violent gangs started making rapid territorial gains, foreign nationals and organizations started evacuating the country and the government collapsed.

Failed and failing states present a serious danger to international stability, as well as to the well-being of their populations. Internationally, they can become safe havens for terrorist organizations, hubs for the drug and arms trade and breeding grounds for dangerous diseases. At the regional level, they can spread instability far beyond their borders and create conflict dynamics that affect neighboring countries. At the national level, they cannot provide security for their citizens or deliver essential public services.

An unorthodox solution

Emerging from a global pandemic and looming recession, the international community does not have the resources, political will or know-how to mount early and comprehensive interventions that seek to strengthen Haiti’s social, economic and political fabric. This is why, contrary to the general consensus, an international intervention strategy must have a limited focus.

The intervention models that are often advocated to solve the Haitian crisis are models that emphasize human security. However, these are too complex and costly to implement and even in the best of cases would only produce long-term results.

An international intervention should focus on making comprehensive reforms of the security sector of the failed state, beginning with the restructuring, re-equipment and recycling of the armed forces, the police, security and intelligence services, as well as the strengthening of civil organizations of control.

Such comprehensive reform is well beyond the short-term capacity of many failing or at-risk states. States that do not have the capacity to maintain security will continue to be at risk no matter what other development reforms are implemented. Thus, it is necessary to devise a limited and implementable approach that prioritizes security sector reform in the task of external intervention in states at risk.

Efforts to guarantee food, health, environmental and cybersecurity will set in motion the reactivation of productive sectors with a direct impact on economic and social development, while mitigating the main risks for the international community of the impact of a failed state.

What does an effective and realistic security approach in Haiti look like?

Our proposal is modeled after the South African Peace and Reconciliation process. We believe there needs to be a process of dialogue, disarmament and negotiation with the gang and civil leaders to empower them to regain self-determination. As history has proven time and time again, in the event of military intervention in a failed state it is impossible to distinguish a fighting patriot and a criminal element.

Given the massive civil support these groups have, a military intervention also would inevitably lead to an all-out war, massive relocation and almost no desired results.

It is in everyone’s interest that Haiti once again be a healthy and productive member of the value chain, guaranteeing the wellbeing of its citizens and contributing to the sustainable development of the region. The objective of an efficient intervention strategy should be to enhance the capacity of the state to provide services, promote good governance and the rule of law. This can only be achieved by reforming the security sector in order to improve the state’s ability to maintain its integrity without undermining the rights of its citizens.

The potential danger of a focus on security is that the local government also gains a greater ability to ensure its own survival by suppressing legitimate civilian opposition and dissent movements necessary for the proper functioning of democracy. Therefore, security must be addressed with a long-term vision through a sustained process of economic recovery, development and political change that builds the foundations for a strong and well-governed society.

Peter Bäckman is the Executive Director and Founder of TEDCAP, a leading risk management firm within the Latin American region. He is also an author, speaker, award-winning and highly influential security professional backed by more than 30 years of experience working in Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. In Sweden, Peter developed and implemented high-level executive protection programs between Securitas and the Swedish Police Witness Protection Program, as well as for the Swedish Armed Forces.

He was also responsible for managing security for high-profile events including the Nobel Prize Ceremony. Peter additionally served as Security Manager in Mexico for a major drilling company and as Director of Corporate Security for a major Latin American asset management firm. Peter has managed international executive protection strategies and operations throughout Latin America for executives for annual board meetings, diplomat missions and others. He has held various leadership positions within ASIS International, including President of the Dominican Republic chapter, Regional Assistant to the Vice President for the Caribbean region and a member of the Latin America Mentoring Committee.

This article was originally published in the February edition of Security Journal Americas, in the Special Report on Entry Solutions. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.