Haitians have long been accustomed to the metaphorical earthquakes that have rippled through their proud but troubled country.
Ever since achieving independence in 1804 to become the world’s first free black state, Haiti has been beset by turbulent, often violent, politics and a gradual but seemingly unstoppable slide from austerity to poverty to misery.
During the past two centuries, Haiti has experienced 34 coups d’etat, several military interventions by the United States, and the gradual withering of an economic base once dependent on agriculture, manufacturing, and even some tourism.
