It’s hard to find hope for the future of Haiti.
Ever since the 2004 coup that removed former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti has been an island of violence. According to the United Nations, there has been a surge of kidnappings. At least 30 people have gone missing in July.
"We are beyond afraid," said Patrick Gadere, owner of ceramic tile factory that has been forced to close its warehouse because of violence and whose brother was abducted. "We’ve been shot at, robbed, kidnapped. We have no other way to make a living."
An FBI agent has said that Haiti has surpassed Colombia as the kidnapping capital of the world.
In addition, two weeks ago there was a massacre that left 21 people dead, seven of them women and children.
Thousands of protestors marched in Port-Au-Prince on July 15 to demand that Aristide be allowed to return to office. The AP reported that Washington believes Aristide’s return would destabilize the country. But it is unclear how things could get much worse.