Haiti And United States
Democracy, described so candidly in 1863 by American President Abraham Lincoln as “government of the people, by the people and for the people” remains America’s prevailing adage to date. Although this form of government is not without its contradictions, the strongest nation-state in the world, the United States of America continues to prove that governments chosen in this way are often accountable and responsive to their people’s demands and thus, evoke popular support. Contrastingly, the troubled nation, the Republic of Haiti despite asserting that it is a democratic government mirrors nothing short of a competitive authoritarian regime. A crucial discrepancy between the United States and Haiti is education. It is often argued that a prerequisite for democracy and economic growth is education. A literate population can read the media and criticize politicians to improve the country. Moreover, the execution of institutions such as: constitutionalism, free media and military control contribute to the varying regimes of these two nations.
A country striving economically is better able to provide adequate public services including education. An educated population is usually able to monitor the governing of a country and ensure it is run in the interest of the citizens at large. It is for this reason that it is often argued that “the better educated the population of a country, the better the chances for democracy”. Nations that are ‘more democratic’ have a higher number of citizens per thousand, pursue higher education. This comparison has no greater disparity than in the case of the United States and Haiti. Haiti has 11 per thousand attending school at the primary level, compared with the United States 18 per thousand attending colleges. When a government exhibits selfishness the literate population can effectively recognize this and thus pressurize leaders to better serve the people. The American people made no secret of their...
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