The Haitian Army During the US Occupation

Abstract

The US occupation of Haiti (1915–34) had a tremendous impact on the evolution of the Haitian military. It was a point of demarcation between the past and the present as the marines almost completely destroyed the old army and gave birth to a new military structure. In other words, the US occupation transformed the Haitian military from a fragmented institution into a professional organization, from disjointed regional army units into a centralized bureaucracy, and from a ‘director’ into a ‘mediator’ role in Haitian politics. For some politicians, the transformation was a dream come true. In the nineteenth century the army served as the government, and this constituted a problem or, more precisely, an obstacle for the establishment of democracy in Haiti. Countless politicians were hoping to see an end to the pre-eminence of the military in governmental affairs. It was argued that the army could be constrained only by way of reorganizing the institution and redefining its strictly military mission. Previous attempts at reorganization were sectoral and did not lead to the total transformation of the entire institution. The failure to reorganize the army was due to the shortsightedness of many politicians and their unwillingness to come to a consensus. Some of them were too dependent on the institution for their political careers and opportunities.