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Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Since the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship in 1986, Haiti has struggled to overcome its centuries-long legacy of authoritarianism, extreme poverty, and underdevelopment. While some progress has been made in developing democratic institutions, they remain weak. Economic and social stability have improved considerably. But poverty remains massive and deep, and economic disparity is wide. In May 2006, Ren Prval began his second five-year term as President of Haiti. During his first two years in office, Prval began to establish internal political stability by attempting to strengthen democratic institutions and creating an environment that would attract private investment and spur job creation. Haiti's fragile stability has been repeatedly shaken, however, if not by political problems, then by climatic ones. In 2008, a worsening food crisis led to violent protests and the removal of Haiti' s Prime Minister. Parliament rejected Prval' s first two choices for a new prime minister, but finally confirmed Michele Pierre-Louis, a highly-regarded educator and economist, as Prime Minister in September 2008. In the summer of 2008, four major storms caused widespread devastation in Haiti. Haiti remains the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Over half the population ...