Haiti's been a nominal democracy with elections since 1994, so it's not quite despotic rule. FWIW, the real problem is kleptocracy, especially in a country where the easiest way to make money is to *loot* the government via corruption. Sometimes the foreign aid promises don't quite materialize, but when it does, $X is allocated, $Y is looted, and $X-$Y leaves very little to get anything done.