What Does the U.S. Owe Haiti for La Navasse?
Sovereign debt and guano go together like ... they go together well, okay? Bird poop was once so valuable as fertilizer that Peru used it as collateral for sovereign debt. It was so valuable that, in the 19th century, the United States and other countries simply claimed sovereignty over islands with guano deposits. The only real limit was that the island couldn't belong to another recognized sovereign nation. That the island was inhabited, perhaps by people who viewed themselves as part of a sovereign nation, was unimportant. La Navasse is one such island, situated roughly 35 miles off the coast of Haiti, and a source of contention between the U.S. and Haiti to this day. Our guests are the wonderful Miami Herald reporter, Jacqueline Charles, who has written about La Navasse for the Miami Herald, and our friend and brilliant colleague, Guy-Uriel Charles.
Producer: Leanna Doty
Clauses & Controversies