On March 29th, 2017, I was invited to participate on a panel entitled, “A Retrospective on Recent U.S. Foreign Policy in Haiti” alongside former U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten, who is currently the State Department’s Haiti Special Coordinator and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere.

This was an interesting and exciting opportunity for me speak to my firm belief that Haiti’s state actors can, and should, reframe the balance of power between Haiti and the United States in a way that positions Haiti to spearhead its own development processes in collaboration with international actors. My remarks therefore were served as an exploration of what it might look like for Haiti to be in a better position to determine its own foreign policy goals – especially since the primary purpose of U.S. foreign policy in Haiti (or in any country for that matter) is to further U.S. interests.

I also used the opportunity to candidly discuss my experiences working within a Haitian government ministry as a Haiti Future Leaders Fellow, and how that opportunity directly influenced the dissertation research that I am now immersed in on decentralization and improved local governance in Haiti.

Be sure to check out my remarks for yourself which includes snippets of the lively question and answer portion that ensued!