Michael Deibert
Michael Deibert (born 1973) is an American journalist, author and Visiting Scholar at the Instituto de Ciências Sociais of the Universidade de Lisboa.
Biography
Deibert was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and is a graduate of Bard College. His first book, Notes from the Last Testament: The Struggle for Haiti, with an introduction by the Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck, was published by Seven Stories Press in November 2005.[1] Deibert's second book, The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair, was published as part of the Zed Books African Arguments series in cooperation with the Royal African Society, the International African Institute and the World Peace Foundation in 2013.[2] A third book, In the Shadow of Saint Death: The Gulf Cartel and the Price of America's Drug War in Mexico, was published by Lyons Press in June 2014.[3] A new work, Haiti Will Not Perish: A Recent History, was published by Zed Books in summer 2017.[4]
Deibert’s writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Miami Herald, The Guardian, Folha de Sao Paulo, Le Monde diplomatique and the World Policy Journal, among other publications. From 2001 until 2003, he served as the Reuters correspondent in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He has been featured as a commentator on international affairs on the BBC, Al Jazeera, Channel 4, National Public Radio, WNYC New York Public Radio and KPFK Pacifica Radio.
Deibert has reported extensively from Haiti,[5][6] the Democratic Republic of Congo,[7][8] France,[9][10][11] Guatemala,[12][13] and Mexico.[14]
While Deibert's work on Haiti has been praised by Haitian scholars[15][16] and others,[17][18] it has also been criticized by partisans of former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.[19][20] Deibert's book on the Democratic Republic of Congo was called "mandatory reading for anyone interested in building lasting peace in the heart of Africa" by the Institute of Development Studies, "a comprehensive first-rate account of the tragedy of Congo...Riveting and brutally honest" by the Free Africa Foundation[21] and "a scrupulously researched reminder of how this corner of the world became so wretched, and of the multiple actors responsible" by The Guardian.[22] Latin American Politics and Society called In the Shadow of Saint Death "a superb piece of reporting on U.S. drug policy and its devastating effects on drug-producing and transit countries in the Western Hemisphere." [23]
In 2012, he was awarded a Small Peace Research Grant by International Peace Research Association in recognition of his work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.[24]
Since 2017, Deibert has worked extensively in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, and has been highly critical of the approach of the U.S. federal government to the island.[25]
Deibert's 2019 book, When the Sky Fell: Hurricane Maria and the United States in Puerto Rico, was characterized by Publishers Weekly as “an impassioned analysis [that] explores the role of the U.S.'s territorial relationship with Puerto Rico,"[26] and by Library Journal as "a thoroughly researched history of Puerto Rico, presented with the goal of helping readers better understand the ongoing impact of colonialism, and how the U.S. mainland responded to the hurricane's impact."[27]
Bibliography
- Notes from the Last Testament: The Struggle for Haiti. New York: Seven Stories Press. 2005. ISBN 978-1-58322-697-1.
- The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair. London: Zed Books. 2013. ISBN 978-1780323459.
- In the Shadow of Saint Death: The Gulf Cartel and the Price of America's Drug War in Mexico. New York: Lyons Press. 2014. ISBN 978-0762791255.
- Haiti Will Not Perish: A Recent History. London: Zed Books. 2017. ISBN 978-1783607983.
- When the Sky Fell: Hurricane Maria and the United States in Puerto Rico. New York: Apollo Publishers. 2019. ISBN 978-1948062367.
References
- "Notes from the Last Testament: The Struggle for Haiti". Seven Stories Press. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
- "The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair". Zed Books. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- "Michael Deibert Bio, Wolf Literary". Wolf Literary. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- "Haiti Will Not Perish: A Recent History". Zed Books. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- Deibert, Michael (January 22, 2010). "The Haiti I love is still there". Salon. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011.
- Deibert, Michael (July 12, 2010). "The international community's responsibility to Haiti". The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group.
- Deibert, Michael (Summer 2008). "Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair (blog)". World Policy Journal.
- Deibert, Michael (June 26, 2008). "A Glittering Demon: Mining, Poverty and Politics in the Democratic Republic of Congo". CorpWatch.
- Deibert, Michael (September 24, 2007). "Two Years After Riots, Little Has Changed". Inter Press Service. Archived from the original on December 6, 2009.
- Deibert, Michael (November 29, 2007). "France: Troubled Suburbs Erupt Again". Inter Press Service.
- Robert Siegel (host) and Michael Deibert (guest) (November 27, 2007). Riots Rage in Paris Suburb After Police Collision. National Public Radio.
- Deibert, Michael (Winter 2008–2009). "Drugs vs. Democracy in Guatemala (blog)". World Policy Journal.
- Deibert, Michael (November 12, 2010). "Guatemala's lonely battle against corruption". The Guardian. London.
- Deibert, Michael (July 16, 2013). "Why Arrest of Zetas Leader Does Not Mean End to Mexico's Drug War". The Huffington Post. AOL.
- Dupuy, Alex (November 2009). "Indefensible: On Aristide, Violence, and Democracy". Small Axe. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- Bajeux, Jean-Claude (April 2, 2006). "L'aventure onusienne en Haiti". AlterPresse. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- Miller, Char (February 19, 2006). "Author gives insight into Haitian politics". San Antonio Express News. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- Bohning, Don (November 25, 2005). "The rise and fall of Haiti's 'savior'". The Miami Herald. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- Podur, Justin (January–February 2006). "Kofi Annan's Haiti". New Left Review. II (37).CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Taylor, Jeremy (May 2006). "Apocalypse Now". Caribbean Review of Books. 8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- "Details from the publisher about The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair". zedbooks.co.uk. Zed Books. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- Carroll, Rory (January 10, 2014). "The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair by Michael Deibert – review". The Guardian. London.
- Wolf, Sonja (2016). "Drugs, Violence, and Corruption: Perspectives from Mexico and Central America". Latin American Politics and Society. 58: 146–155. doi:10.1111/j.1548-2456.2016.00298.x.
- "Grant Awardee Michael Deibert (USA)". International Peace Research Association. 2012.
- Pérez, José Javier (September 28, 2019). "Es claro que tenemos a un presidente que ve de forma diferente a las personas que no son blancas". El Nuevo Día. San Juan.
- "When the Sky Fell: Hurricane Maria and the United States in Puerto Rico". www.publishersweekly.com. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- "Puerto Rico Past and Present". www.libraryjournal.com. Library Journal. Retrieved September 6, 2019.