2024-01-01 01:04
And thus the embers of the candle of the year that was finally flicker out to be replaced by the brilliant light of the flame of the year that is to come, with all the hope and expectation t… Read More
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Michael Deibert, Writer Blog
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Michael Deibert is the author of the forthcoming Haiti Will Not Perish 2004-2016 (Zed Books), In the Shadow of Saint Death: The Gulf Cartel and the Price of America's Drug War in Mexico (Lyons Press, 2014), The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair (Zed Books, 2013) and Notes from the Last Testament: The Struggle for Haiti (Seven Stories Press, 2005). He can be followed at twitter.com/michaelcdeibert.
2023-12-30 17:00
Henri Christophe, King of Haiti, painted by English portraitist Richard Evans, 1816.Black Crown: Henry Christophe, the Haitian Revolution and the Caribbean’s Forgotten Kingdom by Paul… Read More
2023-12-04 12:19
I spoke with Marco Werman at The World about the shifting dynamics among the illegal armed groups in and around Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, and what this means for the country as a whol… Read More
2023-01-01 00:48
Henry Miller on the Greek island of Hydra, 1939.Athens In Poems: An Imaginative Map of the CityAn absolutely gorgeous selection of poetry celebrating the Greek capital given t… Read More
2022-12-31 23:53
Though much of my year was wrapped up in working on my new book, I did publish a few articles that I thought were worthwhile during the last 12 months. My ArticlesIn Latin America, Back… Read More
2022-12-31 20:16
Aug 14, 2022Haiti Is At WarBy Michael DeibertOzyHaiti has a long, troubled history of politicians using local gangs for political muscle and influence. But what’s happening now is stra… Read More
2022-12-31 20:06
2022-12-31 20:04
Freedom Soup and the Liberation of Haiti The cuisine, a combination of African and European influences, also tells the story of this complex country’s revolutionary heritageBy Mic… Read More
2022-04-17 13:23
Restoring Glory to a Baltimore Neighborhood The Sandtown-Winchester area burst into America’s consciousness with the murder by police of Freddie Gray in 2015. But the struggle to rec… Read More
Latin America Risk Outlook: Emboldened Criminal Groups, Failing States And Rising Climate Insecurity
2022-04-17 13:20
I spoke with Douglas Farah, Dr Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian, Dr Vanessa Neumann and Dr Irene Mia under the aegis of the The International Institute for Strategic Studies to discuss the co… Read More
2022-04-17 13:16
In Latin America, Backers of Leftist Dictatorships Look the Other Way As Latin American dictators marginalize and jail protesters, the leaders rely on backing from prominent but obtuse ind… Read More
2021-12-31 16:02
For everyone, 2021 was an extremely tumultuous year, one that saw me leave Puerto Rico for a (temporary) exile in Pennsylvania, two countries dear to me, Haiti and Cuba, erupt for very… Read More
2021-12-29 15:45
There Are Little Kingdoms: Stories by Kevin Barry A collection of gem-like short stories, many of them focusing on life in rural Ireland. The Master and Margarita… Read More
2021-12-29 15:16
I was interviewed by The Times (UK) for an article on the recent New York Times investigation into the murder of Haiti president Jovenel Moïse. I stand by every word. The original artic… Read More
2021-12-29 15:07
Book Examines African Role in Western Prosperity A longtime journalist takes a sweeping, centuries-long look at the economic results of African contact with Europeans By Michael De… Read More
2021-12-29 15:03
I was interviewed by the BBC for its programme The History Hour about Haiti's 2010 earthquake, the aftermath of which is one of the contributing factor to the current surge of migrants. The… Read More
2021-12-29 15:02
I spoke to Al Jazeera about the decision of Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry to fire the prosecutor investigating the murder of the country's president, Jovenel Moïse. The episode can b… Read More
2021-12-29 14:58
The Death of Haiti’s President Summons Ghosts Old and New The assassination of Haiti’s Jovenel Moïse was something anyone should have seen coming. Yet few did Michael D… Read More
2021-12-29 14:54
I spoke to the Spanish-language podcast of the Washington Post about the the assassination of Haiti's president Jovenel Moïse. The full episode can be listened to here. Read More
2021-12-29 14:51
I was interviewed by The Times (UK) about the assassination of Haiti president Jovenel Moïse. The original article can be read here.Haiti’s president is dead — but why… Read More
2021-12-27 01:18
I spoke to Spain's El Confidencial about the the assassination of Haiti's president Jovenel Moïse. The full article is below and the original appears here. Asesinado cerca d… Read More
2021-12-26 13:44
I was interviewed in Chile's La Tercera about the assassination of Haiti's president Jovenel Moïse. The full article files and the original can be read here. Magnicidio en Haití:… Read More
2021-12-26 13:35
I was interviewed in Puerto Rico's El Nuevo Día regarding the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moïse. The article can be read here Read More
2021-12-26 13:25
The AmericasJul 10th 2021 edition A presidential assassinationThe murder of Haiti’s president will worsen the country’s chaos Jovenel Moïse was unloved. But his death l… Read More
2021-07-16 17:58
Oración By Amaury Pacheco (Translated by Michael Deibert) Here we are the pilgrims. Myrrh, incense, gold from our poetic stay, diamond rain we bring. SAN LÁ… Read More
2021-03-18 16:11
"Entre nous et le ciel, l'enfer ou le néant, il n'y a donc que la vie, qui est la chose du monde la plus fragile..."In living the peripatetic existence of an author and a journalist… Read More
2021-03-06 12:06
My interview about Haiti on BBC Newshour appears at the 14 minute mark here. We touch on Haiti's political crisis, the international role in it and the Dominican Republic's proposed border "… Read More
2021-03-06 12:03
I was quoted in this week's article about The Economist on the situation in Haiti.Feb 27th 2021Hoping against hope Can Haiti rid itself of Jovenel Moïse? The count… Read More
2021-02-24 12:00
22 February 2021Rumblings of Change in Puerto Rico The island territory is ruled by the United States but politically and socioeconomically adrift from it. Many want that to change &hell…Read More
2020-12-31 14:10
For me, this past year began in January over the blue-green waters of the Caribbean, as my plane headed home from Panama to Puerto Rico. After a rumbling earthquake nearly thew me out… Read More
2020-12-31 12:34
Arrernte rain ceremony, Alice Springs, Central Australia, c. 1895-1901. During this very strange year, these are some of the books the made the biggest impression on me. &nb&hell…Read More
2020-12-30 14:03
December 21, 2020 Haiti’s Dangerous CrossroadsAs Haiti veers from its constitutional path and armed gangs compete for power, its civil society persists in spite of the oddsBy Mich… Read More
2020-11-28 12:38
Declaration of Artists Protesting in front of Cuba's Ministry of CultureWe, Cuban artists, influencers and intellectuals, repudiate, denounce and condemn the inability of government institut… Read More
2020-11-28 12:15
22 Oct 2020 Mexico slams brakes on clean energy momentumRenewable energy has made slow progress in Mexico, where political commitment is lacking. By Michael Deibert En… Read More
2020-11-28 12:11
New Voices of Rebellion Rise in Cuba A new generation of artists is keeping Cuba’s culture and desire for freedom alive, despite government crackdownsBy Michael DeibertNewlines Magazin… Read More
2020-10-26 00:22
Colombia’s financial services industry flourishes despite domestic headwinds The country has seen increased interest from foreign lenders amid a challenging environment By M… Read More
2020-10-17 16:42
Le rôle de la communauté internationale dans le royaume de l'impunité d'Haïti Publié le 2020-09-24 | Le NouvellistePar Michael Deibert(Read the original… Read More
2020-10-17 16:39
Haiti’s long road to energy self-sufficiency Clean energy could offer Haiti a more secure energy system and a way to reduce its devastating poverty, but the road ahead will be long… Read More
2020-08-12 18:46
July 31, 2020, 6:11 PM Puerto Rico’s Colonial Model Doesn’t Serve Its PeopleOne year on from mass protests, Puerto Ricans are still questioning how to refresh the isla… Read More
2020-08-04 18:50
My interview with BBC World Service on the impact of Tropical Storm Isaias here in Puerto Rico can be heard here, with my segment beginning around the 14:40 mark. As you can imagine, we ta… Read More
2020-06-22 20:29
Mon 15 Jun 2020Dominican Republic: George Floyd protests spark reckoning with race as elections loom By Michael Deibert The Guardian(Read original article here)As demonstrations we… Read More
2020-06-18 17:44
Donde las vidas de los negros importaban primero en las Américas Por Michael Deibert El Nuevo Día (Read the original article here) La imagen de… Read More
2020-06-11 18:30
[Note: I translated this statement by the Cuban actress Iris Ruiz on the death of George Floyd, the subsequent protests and what they mean to Cuba's democratic movement. Any mistakes in the… Read More
2020-06-08 12:50
'Our heritage is abandoned': burning of Haitian church fuels anger at politiciansDamage to part of Unesco world heritage site is emblematic of uncaring government, critics sayBy Michael Deib… Read More
2020-04-14 18:33
[I was interviewed by Ayibo Post about the terribly sad devastation by fire of the church adjoining the Palais Sans-Souci in Haiti's Milot, outside Cap-Haïtien. Both structures sit be… Read More
2020-03-27 15:20
My discussion with Esau Williams of BBC World Service about the mysterious death of former DR Congo intelligence chief Delphin Kahimbi can be heard here. My part starts around the 3:15 min… Read More
2020-01-22 13:58
I spoke with Tanzina Vega of The Takeaway and Sergio Marxuach, policy director for the Center for a New Economy, about where solar development in Puerto Rico stands today, and whether it&rs&hell…Read More
2020-01-15 14:02
Puerto Rico earthquakes are just the latest in a string of shocks for US island First there was Hurricane Maria. Then, government upset. Now, Puerto Rico is facing the effects of… Read More
2020-01-09 00:32
I spoke with Tanzina Vega of The Takeaway about the earthquake that rocked Puerto Rico yesterday morning. I had been up since about 4:30 AM after being shaken out of bed so hopefully I ma… Read More
2019-12-31 18:15
This past year was quite an eventful one, marked by the publication of my fifth book, a move to Puerto Rico and the honor of witnessing the verano boricua here in San Juan this past summer… Read More
2019-12-30 22:34
Defined by Puerto Rico's summer of revolution, this past year was one of intense work for me, and amidst all the writing I didn't get to read nearly as much as I usually do or what have like… Read More
2019-12-03 14:18
Michael Deibert, le régime de Michel Martelly et la voyoutocratie de Jovenel MoïseNelson BellamyLe Nation(Read the original article here) Au nom de la lutte contre la corruption… Read More
2019-10-28 15:04
The author at Ti Mouillage outside of Jacmel, Haiti, November 2002.Jacmel in all my dreamsBy Michael Deibert“At All Hallows Eve, the Guédé spirits of the dead overrun the… Read More
2019-10-23 13:47
28 September 2019“Es claro que tenemos a un presidente que ve de forma diferente a las personas que no son blancas”Por José Javier PérezEl Nuevo Día(Read the… Read More
2019-10-14 22:14
When the Sky Fell Gives Voice to Puerto Ricans Two Years After Hurricane MariaALEXANDRA MARTINEZSEPTEMBER 24, 2019The Miami New Times(Read original article here)(Photo by Rachel Templeton)Th… Read More
2019-09-17 22:13
When the Sky Fell: Hurricane Maria and the United States in Puerto Rico By Michael DeibertShelf Awareness (Read original article here)When Puerto Rico fell to the United St… Read More
2019-09-13 12:54
When the Sky Fell: Hurricane Maria and the United States in Puerto Rico. By Michael DeibertApollo. Sept. 2019.216p. maps. notes. bibliog.ISBN 9781948062367.$24.99.HISTLibrary Journal(Re… Read More
2019-09-13 12:45
When the Sky Fell: Hurricane Maria and the United States in Puerto Rico By Michael Deibert.Apollo, $24.99 (224p)ISBN 978-1-948062-36-7Publishers Weekly(Read original article here)In thi… Read More
2018-12-28 18:43
As the year draws to a close, I wanted to share some of the articles I have written/been involved with this year. It was a year that was often hard on the soul, when evil seemed ascendant… Read More
2018-12-27 20:40
"Freedom is my sect," protest in Al-Zabadani, Rif Dimashq Governorate, SyriaDesert Solitaire by Edward AbbeyPublished in 1968, this book serves as something of an elegy to an American West t… Read More
2018-12-11 14:20
From my home in Pennsylvania, I have watched the evolution of the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protests in France. The phenomenon has been badly misunderstood by much of the Anglophone media… Read More
2018-12-10 00:39
Wed 5 Dec 2018 15.48 GMT What is forcing thousands of migrants to flee their home countries? The United States is more to blame for its immigration problem than it would like to take credit… Read More
2018-11-03 12:56
Moment of TruthText of Michael Deibert's address at Millersville University Literary Festival2 November 2018Good evening to all of you and thank you for coming. Thank you also to Millersvil… Read More
2018-10-11 21:46
San Juan’s Iconic La Perla Neighborhood Defies Trump Battered by disasters natural and man-made, this ebullient Puerto Rico area refuses to give up or give in. Michael Deibert09… Read More
2018-09-21 20:24
Trump Says Puerto Rico Is ‘Unsung Success.’ Actually, Power Still Goes Out and People Aren’t Coming Back.Thanks to FEMA’s fumbling response, the island isn’t ba… Read More
2018-08-26 21:23
Do not take at face value those who claim to be for human rights, as so many of those criticizing the late U.S. Senator John McCain do, if they nevertheless stood silently by as Muammar G… Read More
2018-07-20 15:25
What Lies Behind the Unrest in Haiti?By Michael DeibertAs soon as Brazil went down in defeat to Belgium in the World Cup earlier this month, the barricades began to appear. In Haiti, a footb… Read More
2018-06-25 15:34
04.30.18 5:23 AM ETOn the Ground With Cops Hunting El Salvador’s Gangs Police and soldiers are fighting an endless war against groups like MS-13 and Barrio 18. Can God sort out what… Read More
2018-05-01 12:17
14 April 2018Haiti's new president embarks on cross-country mission FDI Magazine(Read the original article here) Jovenel Moïse, the president of Haiti, tells Michael Deibert how h… Read More
2018-05-01 12:10
13 April 2018Haiti: time to take a second look? FDI Magazine(Read original article here) Haiti's name has been synonymous with natural disaster and political turmoil in recent decades… Read More
2018-04-24 16:01
The Comisión Internacional contra la Impunidad en Guatemala (CICIG) was formed as an outgrowth of the peace accords that ended Guatemala's 36 year civil war. It was tasked with suppor… Read More
2018-02-28 15:42
Critique du livre Haiti will not perish: a recent historyHaïti ne périra pas : une histoire récente de Michael Deibert Publié le 2018-01-26 | Le Nouvelliste(Re… Read More
2018-02-26 12:38
A Review of Michael Deibert’s Haiti Will Not Perish: A Recent History Posted on Wednesday 3 January 2018By Reginald DumasSubmitted to AlterPresse(Read the original article… Read More
2018-01-16 20:14
If You Visit HaitiBy Michael DeibertIf you visit Haiti, and you should, you must ride up to the majestic Citadelle Laferrière, completed on the orders of Henri Christophe outside of C… Read More
2018-01-02 01:12
Traditional Pennsylvania Deutsch New Year's Day meal of pork, bratwurst, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes (the wine is a nod to Argentina) Read More
2017-12-30 19:23
To have been loved once by someone--surely There is a permanent good in that - John Ashbery She saw among the stones lining the gutter the wisps of grass green as the… Read More
2017-12-30 16:43
26 December 2017'Everything kind of fell apart': Demographics surrounding poverty in Lancaster County shatter mythsBy Michael DeibertLNP(Read the original article here)The modest home that J… Read More
2017-12-29 21:08
Mohammad Mohiedine Anis, 70, smokes his pipe as he sits in his destroyed bedroom listening to music on his vinyl player in Aleppo's formerly rebel-held al-Shaar neighbourhood.(AFP PHOT… Read More
2017-12-29 19:35
16 December 2017Families who came to Lancaster from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria adjust to new way of lifeBy Michael DeibertLNP(Read original article here)When Hurricane Maria made land… Read More
2017-11-21 12:00
2017-11-21 11:59
2 November 2017Desperation, defiance remain in Puerto Rico's central mountains 1 month after Hurricane Maria By Michael DeibertLNP(Read original article here)BARRANQUITAS, Puerto Rico… Read More
2017-11-21 11:59
1 November 2017One month after Hurrican Maria, Puerto Rico's Coast Struggles to RebuildBy Michael DeibertLNP(Read the original article here) GUAYAMA, Puerto Rico — As Hurricane Maria… Read More
2017-11-21 11:59
3 November 2017In the heart of Afro-Puerto Rican culture, a halting recovery 1 month after Hurricane Maria By Michael DeibertLNP(Read the original article here) LOIZA, Puerto Rico &mda&hell…Read More
2017-11-05 17:24
While I was away reporting in Puerto Rico, I lost someone who was very dear to me, my maternal grandfather, James Breon.At 92 years old, he was my last surviving grandparent and, in many wa… Read More
2017-11-02 10:36
6 September 2017How a glut of cheap, powerful heroin grown in Mexico is delivered more than 2,000 miles to Lancaster CountyBy Michael DeibertLNP(Read the originals story here) They stare out… Read More
2017-09-18 11:30
While in London, I was interviewed about Haiti by M24, the radio station of Monocle magazine. My part begins around the 11 minute mark and can be heard here Read More
2017-09-17 03:08
Zed Books, Waterstones Tottenham Court Road, the historian Carrie Gibson and a wonderful, well-informed audience all helped to give my new book, Haiti Will Not Perish: A Recent History, a lo… Read More
2017-09-14 01:21
26 August 2017Journalist Michael Deibert has called several countries –if not continents– home, and has written several books, including In the Shadow of Saint Death: The Gulf Ca… Read More
2017-08-24 10:49
August 15, 2017One Rural County’s Battle to Stop a Pipeline From Slicing Through Pennsylvania Lancaster County, Penn. is rising up against the $3 billion Atlantic Sunrise Pi… Read More
2017-07-20 13:44
Was the ‘Guatemalan Spring’ an illusion? Michael Deibert | 11/07/20… Read More
2017-06-21 19:27
June 21, 2017 The End of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti What It Means for the Country's Future By Michael DeibertForeign Affairs (Read the original here)Under an ash gray sky threaten… Read More
2017-05-03 15:17
--> Before night falls: An American’s letter to France by Michael DeibertIt has been a wrenching few years in France, hard to witness for an American l… Read More
2017-04-26 19:44
One of the honours of my life to know that my first book, Notes from the Last Testament: The Struggle for Haiti, will be included in the Biblyotek Site Soley, along with books donated by Alf… Read More
2017-03-11 13:01
René Préval obituary President of Haiti who managed to bring a measure of tranquillity to a country besieged by poverty and violence By Michael DeibertThe Guardian(Read origin… Read More
2017-03-04 13:42
2017-02-12 23:21
Photo © Michael Deibert Read More
2017-02-08 16:15
What I witnessed yesterday at the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners meeting was a disgrace and an affront to democracy.In a packed house, as citizen after citizen rose to voi… Read More
2017-02-05 14:51
Havana Nocturne, photo by me Read More
2017-01-30 20:58
Protest at Thomas Paine Plaza, Philadelphia, 26 January 2017. Photo credit: Ben Deibert.I think we are in a very dangerous moment in the United States at present.There are clearly yaw… Read More
2017-01-28 01:25
Dear progressive friends: There ARE some conservatives and GOP folks who, to varying degrees, see Trump for what he is and realize the danger he poses. These may be people I don't agree with… Read More
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