Gordon Institute hosts roundtable on deteriorating security in Haiti

As security conditions in Haiti continue to deteriorate, the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy at FIU recently convened over 70 senior U.S. officials, researchers and policy leaders in Washington, D.C., for a high-level roundtable focused on Haiti’s rapidly deteriorating security environment and the international response following a recent United Nations resolution authorizing a multinational gang suppression force. The session brought together diplomatic, academic, military perspectives to examine current conditions on the ground and to contextualize recent international actions related to Haiti.

“Any durable response to Haiti’s security crisis has to extend beyond short-term enforcement measures,” said Marvins Moïse of Haiti Policy House. “Without sustained coordination between international partners and Haitian civil society, the underlying drivers of instability will continue to resurface.”

The roundtable featured the Gordon Institute’s recent publication, A Strategic Opening: Fighting Haiti’s Criminal Insurgency, which was commissioned in support of analytical efforts for U.S. Southern Command and the United Nations. The report examines the evolving nature of armed groups in Haiti and the strategic considerations shaping international engagement.

While the session adhered to Chatham House Rules (which preserve the privacy of those making specific comments or sharing specific information, although their parriticpation may be reported), many federal participants, including Ambassador Henry Wooster, chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, outlined the strategic implications of the newly authorized international mission and the challenges associated with restoring stability in Haiti’s current security environment.

Bruce Vitor, director of research and pperations at the Gordon Institute and lead author of the report, presented findings on how armed groups in Haiti increasingly operate beyond conventional criminal models, exercising territorial control, extracting resources, and performing functions that undermine state authority. His presentation provided an analytical framework for understanding the current security landscape.

Attendees represented government agencies, international institutions and policy research organizations, iamong them the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations, RAND Corporation, the International Crisis Group, Inter-American Dialogue, Haiti Policy House and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Students enrolled in FIU’s Executive Master of Public Administration program participated in the roundtable as part of a Washington, D.C., Fly-In. Their involvement reflected FIU’s emphasis on experiential learning and on exposing graduate students to real-time policy discussions involving senior officials and subject-matter experts.

“Participating in this roundtable made clear how interconnected regional security, governance and humanitarian concerns are,” said Deena Bell-Llewellyn, an Executive Master of Public Administration student at FIU. “It was a rare opportunity to observe how policy decisions affecting Haiti also carry direct implications for South Florida and the wider Caribbean.”

The roundtable provided a forum for examining Haiti’s security challenges alongside recent international policy developments, reinforcing FIU’s role as a convener connecting research, policy analysis and practitioner expertise on complex global issues.