Sovereignty Under Siege: Human Rights and the U.S. Quest for Dominance in Haiti". Master's Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2025.
Brito-Cruz, Nicole Alexandra
Brito-Cruz, Nicole Alexandra
Citations
Altmetric:
Abstract
This thesis critically examines the use of human rights rhetoric by the United States in its foreign policy toward Haiti, exposing the selective deployment of "naming and shaming" tactics as a mechanism for geopolitical control rather than genuine human rights advocacy. Rather than representing a failure of idealism, this approach reflects a consistent pattern of strategic hypocrisy, where the U.S. dismisses its own domestic and international human rights obligations while weaponizing the concept to legitimize interventionist and self-serving foreign policies. By situating Haiti’s historical struggle for sovereignty, beginning with its revolutionary founding as the first Black republic, within a broader pattern of imperial and neocolonial interventions, the study reveals how the U.S. has alternated between direct support for authoritarian regimes and strategic disengagement, each time cloaked in humanitarian language. Through a comparative analysis of U.S. policy in Haiti, El Salvador, and Guatemala, the thesis illustrates a recurring prioritization of American economic and political interests over human rights, particularly when local reformist movements challenge U.S.-backed power structures. It further interrogates the role of Western media in shaping public opinion, reinforcing narratives of Haitian dysfunction while ignoring external responsibility for instability. The thesis calls for a decolonized framework of human rights advocacy, one that centers Haitian voices, embraces global accountability, and draws on international legal norms particularly the principle of self-determination as a meaningful reform. In doing so, it challenges the prevailing Global North-centric model and advances a vision of international solidarity rooted in equity and justice.
Description
Master of Arts in International Affairs -- John Cabot University, Summer 2025.
Date
2025
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Human rights, Haitians
Citation
Brito-Cruz, Nicole Alexandra. "Sovereignty Under Siege: Human Rights and the U.S. Quest for Dominance in Haiti".