The two main criminals are France and the United States. They owe Haiti enormous reparations because of actions going back hundreds of years. If we could ever get to the stage where somebody could say, 'We're sorry we did it,' that would be nice. But if that just assuages guilt, it's just another crime. To become minimally civilized, we would have to say, 'We carried out and benefited from vicious crimes. A large part of the wealth of France comes from the crimes we committed against Haiti, and the United States gained as well. Therefore we are going to pay reparations to the Haitian people.' Then you will see the beginnings of civilization.
Noam Chomsky argues that France and the United States bear significant responsibility for the suffering of Haiti due to their colonial and post-colonial actions. He emphasizes that these countries have benefited from their exploitation of Haiti, which has resulted in a considerable economic disparity. Chomsky suggests that true acknowledgment of past wrongs would require a heartfelt apology and reparations, which are currently lacking.
According to Chomsky, simply expressing regret is insufficient...