r/worldnews • u/Urmomsjuicyvagina • 26d ago

Russian warships will arrive in Havana next week, say Cuban officials citing ‘friendly relations Russia/Ukraine

https://wsvn.com/news/us-world/russian-warships-will-arrive-in-havana-next-week-say-cuban-officials-citing-friendly-relations/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_wsvn
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u/EatLard 26d ago

Finally outside Ukrainian missile range…. Or are they?

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u/HalstonBeckett 26d ago

The Ukrainians just announced an anti-ship drone exercise in the Caribbean next week.

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u/Osmo-7777 26d ago

They'll do that while ballin knee deep between Dmonican Republic and Puerto Rico

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u/Cthulhuhoop 26d ago

Haiti becomes South Ukraine.

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u/Cleaver2000 25d ago

Honestly, a Polish/Ukrainian force to get rid of the gangs in Haiti would be one of the few options that Haitians may feel generally good about. Poland and Haiti have a long friendship going back to the Haitian Revolution. 

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u/Flomo420 25d ago

I would like to know more

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u/LiveLifeLikeCre 25d ago

Haitian American here. I'd like to know more too. I know a lot of young nations supported Haiti in solidarity against colonizing world powers and etc, but poland is new to me. Were they even their own nation in the early 1800s?

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u/forresja 25d ago edited 25d ago

Most of the Polish soldiers that Napoleon sent to quell the Haitian uprising defected and joined the revolution.

In thanks, the Haitian constitution guaranteed citizenship to any Polish citizen that wanted it.

Edit: Guaranteed* citizenship. Not anymore.

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u/project2501c 25d ago

sauce?

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u/o2206623 25d ago

Took 30 seconds to Google my friend:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Haitians

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u/project2501c 25d ago

yeah that says nowhere "guarantees citizenship to any Polish citizen that wants it"

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u/o2206623 25d ago

You're right - I misread the original as 'wanted it', rather than 'wants it' (I guess because I knew of the story).

It was a one time offer for the Polish soldiers who defected.

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u/DOUBLEBARRELASSFUCK 25d ago

Haitian American here.

Sweet, we're about to get all of the details.

I'd like to know more too.

Well shit...

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u/Renphligia 25d ago

I'm not Polish, but I'm a huge history nerd, and I gotta tell you that the Polish-Haitian story is really fascinating. The Wikipedia page has some more details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Haitians

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u/Deadened_ghosts 25d ago

During this time, there was a familiar situation going on back in their homeland as these Polish soldiers were fighting for their liberty from the occupying forces of Russia, Prussia, and Austria that began in 1772.

Posted the full account of them changing sides just above

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u/Jake_The_Destroyer 25d ago

If I remember right, when Haiti was a French colony under Napoleon, Polish troops from the Duchy of Warsaw were sent to help maintain control of the colony but eventually sided with the revolutionaries and some Poles stayed in the country for a time.

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u/Deadened_ghosts 25d ago

In 1802, Napoleon added a Polish legion of around 5,200 to the forces sent to Saint-Domingue to fight off the slave rebellion. However, the Poles were told that there was a revolt of prisoners in Saint-Domingue. Upon arrival and the first fights, the Polish soldiers soon discovered that what was actually taking place in the colony was a rebellion of slaves fighting off their French masters for their freedom. During this time, there was a familiar situation going on back in their homeland as these Polish soldiers were fighting for their liberty from the occupying forces of Russia, Prussia, and Austria that began in 1772. Many Poles believed that if they fought for France, Bonaparte would reward them by restoring Polish independence, which had been ended with the Third Partition of Poland in 1795. As hopeful as the Haitians, many Poles were seeking union amongst themselves to win back their freedom and independence by organizing an uprising. As a result, many Polish soldiers admired their opponents, to eventually turn on the French army and join the Haitian slaves. Polish soldiers participated in the Haitian revolution of 1804, contributing to the establishment of the world's first free black republic and the first independent Caribbean state.

Haiti's first head of state Jean-Jacques Dessalines called Polish people "the White Negroes of Europe", which was then regarded a great honor, as it meant brotherhood between Poles and Haitians. Many years later François Duvalier, the president of Haiti who was known for his black nationalist and Pan-African views, used the same concept of "European white negroes" while referring to Polish people and glorifying their patriotism. After Haiti gained its independence, the Poles acquired Haitian citizenship for their loyalty and support in overthrowing the French colonialists, and were called "black" by the Haitian constitution.

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u/Cleaver2000 25d ago

Very good summary, thanks. I will just add that Pope John Paul II (who was Polish) went to Haiti (I don't think any other Pope has visited deeply Catholic Haiti) in 1983 and roasted Duvalier for the poverty and suffering in the country. There are Haitians who can trace their ancestry to those Polish soldiers who joined the Revolution.

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u/Kevo_NEOhio 25d ago

I’d say in spirit, if the Haitian people were game. Haiti has been pretty badass at keeping out foreign occupation or so says behind the bastards

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u/LiveLifeLikeCre 25d ago

The Haitian Revolution sparked the end of cross-ocean slavery by many world powers and opened the door for the fall of Napoleon since France was spread too thin.

Though France, with the support of other world powers at the time, extorted Haiti (with threat of invasion with war ships docked in the carribean) by demanding reperarions that took over 100 years to pay off. 

If you look at Haiti before the USA and CIA started fucking over the carribean and south America, it resembled Havana with Vegas lights. Regime change after regime change during the cold War and 80s/early 90s did a lot to ruin the country. Just good to see and learn when usual discourse doesn't tell the whole story. 

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u/cthuloubega 25d ago

Whaaaaaat's shakin, my Haitians?

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u/Hot-Rise9795 25d ago

The reason is that there's no oil in Haiti.

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u/fireinthesky7 25d ago

That would be a significant improvement over the current situation in Haiti.