by Nick Giambruno, International Man:

Recently, I left the worst place in the Western Hemisphere…

Haiti is a scene of unending human tragedy. It’s by far the poorest and most messed-up country on this side of the globe.

Most Haitians live on about $2 a day. Malnutrition and disease is rampant. Over 40% of the population is illiterate.

The misery there is simply on a different level.

Look at any international ranking, and Haiti is always at the bottom. It’s the last place anyone would think to visit, let alone invest in.

That’s a big reason why I went.

Anyone can go to France, or England, or Germany. Big deal.

I’ve always enjoyed far-off places outside of the usual tourist circuit. I think they’re far more interesting. And they offer better adventures.

Plus, strange countries with bad reputations are exactly the places a crisis investor should visit. The world’s most bombed-out, hated, and depressed regions can offer life-changing contrarian investment opportunities.

Seeing these places firsthand also gives us valuable insight into what really happens when an economy totally collapses.

That’s why I fly around the world with Doug Casey, chasing economic collapse, civil unrest, revolution, war, and geopolitical turmoil.

Haiti is just our latest stop.

The World’s First Economic Citizenship Program

Doug and I were also in Haiti to pitch radical free market reforms to the highest levels of the Haitian government. This is a country with terminal cancer and multiple gunshot wounds. Band-Aids won’t do the trick.

One of the ideas we discussed was economic citizenship.

It’s well known that countries like Saint Kitts, Dominica, and Malta have official, legal programs to sell their citizenship and passports to foreign investors. But the whole concept is rooted in Haiti.

During World War 2, Haiti offered a way out of Nazi Germany after many other doors had closed.

The government sold Haitian passports for $3,000 (the equivalent of around $50,000 today).

Those who could afford it could buy Haitian passports and escape Europe. For many, this was literally a matter of life or death.

This program eventually led to a booming multibillion dollar industry… just not in Haiti. Unfortunately, the country’s politicians dropped the ball.

Today, Haiti is completely missing out on the economic citizenship industry it helped create. And, needless to say, it needs every penny it can get.

Granted, a Haitian passport isn’t some grand prize. But it still gives you numerous political diversification benefits and visa-free travel to around 50 countries.

That’s far fewer places than the first-tier economic citizenship programs. However, this just means a potential program for Haiti would have to cost less. But it could still bring in a significant amount of money to the country.

If the government executed it properly and made a diplomatic push to increase the number of countries with visa-free entry, the program would be even more profitable.

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