This is a good addition to the anti-democracy propaganda section of your research library. Like Abbie Hoffman liked to say, "Steal this Book." Check it out in your library, get the cheapest used version you can. Whatever you do, don't support the institutions that employ Robert Fatton. Of course, that would probably mean becoming a radical tax protestor too; not something that I recommend.
Fatton has a long history of enabling the New American Empire's misinformation campaign against the pro-democracy struggle in Haiti. Using rabid reactionary revisionist sources -- like Lynn Garrison: "Voodoo Politics" -- as "source" material, Fatton reconstitutes their mythomaniacal fabrications to make them more suitable for "respectable" research material. The penetration of the historical record by the Intelligence Community is a treacherous subject to study. The massive disinformation effort unleashed on Haiti over the years should have its own Holocaust Museum.
Haiti's Predatory Republic: The Unending Transition to Democracy
by
Robert Fatton
(Author)
| Robert Fatton (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
ISBN-13: 978-1588260857
ISBN-10: 1588260852
Why is ISBN important? ISBN
Scan an ISBN with your phone
Use the Amazon App to scan ISBNs and compare prices.
This bar-code number lets you verify that you're getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. The 13-digit and 10-digit formats both work.
Use the Amazon App to scan ISBNs and compare prices.
See clubs
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Only 6 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
More Buying Choices
null
![]() |
Products related to this item
Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
The Guise of Exceptionalism: Unmasking the National Narratives of Haiti and the United States (Critical Caribbean Studies)PaperbackFREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Thursday, Jul 14Only 9 left in stock - order soon.
Haiti: State Against Nation (Critical Social Thought)PaperbackFREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Thursday, Jul 14Only 18 left in stock (more on the way).
Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian RevolutionPaperbackFREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Thursday, Jul 14
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
A Haitian by birth, Fatton (government and foreign affairs, Univ. of Virginia) has written a somewhat pessimistic analysis of politics in Haiti from 1986 to the end of 2001. He sees this period as starting on a positive note with the promise that democracy would succeed and then goes on to examine the numerous changes of government from the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship in 1986 to Jean-Bertrand Aristide's second inauguration as president in December 2001. The author suggests that Haiti's experience shows that for democracy to succeed in any country, there needs to be a balance of power between two competing classes, the bourgeoisie and the workers. The absence of strong political organizations from both classes in Haiti has led to a power vacuum and the consequent failure of democratic institutions. The result is what Fatton calls "predatory democracy," which has the trappings of democracy but functions more like authoritarianism or polyarchy. This book will be of interest to libraries with collections on the Caribbean and general political theory.
Mark L. Grover, Brigham Young Univ. Lib., Provo, UT
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Mark L. Grover, Brigham Young Univ. Lib., Provo, UT
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle
Don't have a Kindle? Compra tu Kindle aquí, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
I'd like to read this book on Kindle
Don't have a Kindle? Compra tu Kindle aquí, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Virtual lessons for curious minds
Amazon Explore Browse now
Product details
- Publisher : Lynne Rienner Publishers (April 1, 2002)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 237 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1588260852
- ISBN-13 : 978-1588260857
- Item Weight : 12.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 6.25 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,276,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #619 in Political Ideologies
- #1,067 in Caribbean & Latin American Politics
- #1,079 in Political History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
Products related to this item
Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1
Customer reviews
3.1 out of 5 stars
3.1 out of 5
4 global ratings
How customer reviews and ratings work
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2013
One person found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2007
Observers of Haiti's political, social and economic development will be brought to reality by Dr. Fatton's work.
"The process of democratization that has marked the modern history of Haiti.... suggest that the transition from authoritarianism to populism was a function of the ascendancy of the civil society and, in particular, popular civil society," says Fatton (pp. 1-2).
He argues that the classical model adopted for the democratization of Haiti has many inherent weaknesses.
While it may have removed military authoritarianism, it has retained the institutionalized structures of dictatorship, legacies of the State, which are deeply entrenched in the society.
Consequently, the Country today, has an unconsolidated, dysfunctional democracy which is characterized by brutality, and the treachery of the bourgeoisie who monopolizes state power and wealth.
This is what Fatton deems to be a "Predatory democracy."
Dr. Fatton is of Haitian ancestry or Haitian by birth. He appears to write not only for the Haitian people but also as one of them.
He is a brilliant intellectual and scholar, not a revolutionary like "Old"Toussaint, Dessalines or Regaud, the lesser.
However, his predictive skills as a political scientist are brilliant.
I do not share all of Dr. Fatton's views on Aristide, bearing in mind the historical difficulties facing that Country and the obvious geo-political problems of that region.
The work is fairly easy to read. I highly recommend it to students and general readers.
See also:
Roots of Haitian Despotism
In-Dependence from Bondage: Claude McKay and Michael Manley: Defying the Ideological Clash and Policy Gaps in African Diaspora Relations
The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution
"The process of democratization that has marked the modern history of Haiti.... suggest that the transition from authoritarianism to populism was a function of the ascendancy of the civil society and, in particular, popular civil society," says Fatton (pp. 1-2).
He argues that the classical model adopted for the democratization of Haiti has many inherent weaknesses.
While it may have removed military authoritarianism, it has retained the institutionalized structures of dictatorship, legacies of the State, which are deeply entrenched in the society.
Consequently, the Country today, has an unconsolidated, dysfunctional democracy which is characterized by brutality, and the treachery of the bourgeoisie who monopolizes state power and wealth.
This is what Fatton deems to be a "Predatory democracy."
Dr. Fatton is of Haitian ancestry or Haitian by birth. He appears to write not only for the Haitian people but also as one of them.
He is a brilliant intellectual and scholar, not a revolutionary like "Old"Toussaint, Dessalines or Regaud, the lesser.
However, his predictive skills as a political scientist are brilliant.
I do not share all of Dr. Fatton's views on Aristide, bearing in mind the historical difficulties facing that Country and the obvious geo-political problems of that region.
The work is fairly easy to read. I highly recommend it to students and general readers.
See also:
Roots of Haitian Despotism
In-Dependence from Bondage: Claude McKay and Michael Manley: Defying the Ideological Clash and Policy Gaps in African Diaspora Relations
The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution
3 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2004
This book presents a very thorough explanation of the political situation in Haiti since the fall of the Duvaliers. Because it was published in 2002 it obviously does not discuss the most recent events in Haiti, but the book is a very useful tool in understanding what is going on in that country now. The author actually predicted the events of Jan-Feb 2004 as a possibility of what could happen in that country. I give it a 4-star rating because the language is somewhat dense; the book is not for the casual reader.
4 people found this helpful
Report abuse

