'Failed state: Haiti has collapsed in a kind of a black hole'

Erin Ogunkeye is pleased to welcome Jean Marie Théodat, Author and Head of the Geography Department at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University. He describes Haiti as a failed state: "Haiti has collapsed in a kind of a black hole. I mean there is no president, no elections, no chambers of deputies, no senators." Addressing the reported deployment of Salvadoran troops to Haiti, he says “when you are dying, you don't look at the hand that brings help,” explaining why many Haitians may welcome military assistance from Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele despite concerns about his government's authoritarian methods and the uncertain political consequences of foreign intervention. Drawing on a Haitian proverb, he warns that “a goat with several masters can die of thirst while tied up,” underscoring the dangers of poorly coordinated interventions.