Haiti: Confronting an Immense Challenge

This article analyzes the history of Haiti, from its origins as a slave colony of France, which was the richest colony in the Americas, to its war of independence leading to the first Black independent nation in the Americas, to its economic re-enslavement under the power of France and then the United States. The article discusses the great harm the French caused the Haitian people by imposing through force a ransom of billions of dollars that has led Haiti to its present position of being on the brink of becoming a failed state, with all of the disastrous consequences for the millions of Haitians that term implies. The article then discusses and analyzes several issues that Haitians must face to move from an authoritarian state to a more democratic one. These issues include corporatism, violations of the rule of law, and a general sense of anomie that has led to despair and abject poverty

Capital Punishment

The United States Supreme Court recently handed down Gregg v. Georgia, a decision that attempted to resolve the question of the constitutionality of capital punishment. The author analyzes that decision within the context of those that preceded it and reviews decisions handed down by the Supreme Court of Florida after it. He questions whether the law has really been clarified as to the constitutionality of capital punishment, raising possible challenges not only under the eighth amendment, but also under substantive due process concepts