NewsTracker Answers for week of Jan. 23, 2023

Q: Haiti lost its last 10 senators this month when their terms expired, leaving an appointed prime minister running a weak government unable to stop the warring gangs controlling most of the nation’s capital. Where is the nation of Haiti on the western side of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola?

Circle the area on this map

Q: Beset by natural disasters and the worst poverty in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti descended further into chaos after its last president was assassinated 18 months ago in his home on the outskirts of the nation’s capital ...

A. Havana

B. Kingston

C. Port-au-Prince

D. Santo Domingo

C. Port-au-Prince is Haiti’s capital and most populous city, with an estimated metro area population of nearly 3 million people. Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic, Haiti’s western neighbor on Hispaniola. Havana and Kingston are the capitals of the neighboring islands of Cuba and Jamaica.

Q: After the United States, Haiti became the Americas’ second independent nation. It also is the only state in history established by a successful slave revolt. Which nation later sent a fleet of warships to force Haiti’s former slaves and their descendants to pay reparations to the families of their former slave owners?

A. Britain

B. France

C. Spain

D. United States

B. Haiti’s slaves defeated the French to win independence in 1804. But, the new nation was isolated by world powers which feared the spread of slave rebellions. In 1825, France sent a fleet to Haiti and forced leaders to agree to the reparations. It took Haiti 122 years to pay off debt worth between $20 and $30 billion in today's dollars.

Q: Haiti is suffering a cholera outbreak and famine in addition to the horrific gang violence, which triggered calls for an international force to stop the violence. Forces of which nation occupied Haiti for nearly two decades in the 20th century?

A. Britain

B. France

C. Spain

D. United States

D. U.S. Marines were sent to Haiti in 1915 to “to restore order and protect U.S. interests.” U.S. forces occupied the country until 1934. The United States also took control of Haiti’s national treasury and used 40% of the nation’s income to pay off reparation debts to U.S. and French banks. Haiti made its final payment in 1947.

Q: While the United States has supported a “rapid action force” to help Haiti, it doesn’t want to lead it. Which nation has it asked to take the lead?

A. Canada

B. France

C. Mexico

D. Sweden

A. Canadian officials said that any form of intervention must have political consensus in Haiti, which has proved elusive in the deeply divided nation.