Dominicans' dance with want - Le Monde diplomatique - English edition

The reasons why people move are incredibly complex. They go far beyond an individual's or even family's desire for better themselves economically. Consider the following comments by David Brotherton, a criminologist, sociologist, and specialist of the Caribbean.

"But what are Dominicans fleeing from? In this general election year this question focuses our attention on the plight of this nation: it is now 49 years since the country was last led by a truly independent politician, Juan Bosch, in 1963. This extraordinary intellectual and man of unimpeachable character was duly dispensed by Washington, in league with its local allies, for his efforts to bring a popular democracy to a country that had been brutally and dictatorially ruled by Trujillo for more than three decades. Bosch's commitment to land reform, an anti-colonial foreign policy, and openly democratic elections were simply too unpalatable for the US fearful of a freedom-hungry Caribbean four years after the Cuban Revolution; thus the country was once more invaded to "save American lives." Henceforth, the Dominican Republic's trajectory towards dependency and hopelessness was firmly set in motion." - David Brotherton

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