The history of the leadership of Haiti has been nothing but a long series of Duvalier clones. Aristide had a chance, but due to either his own actions, or the actions of supporters he could not control, the control of the country returned to business as usual - armed thugs running the streets. He wouldn’t or couldn’t control them, and for that he is highly at fault. He allowed the country to be run the same way it always has been, and that was inevitably going to lead to where it is now.
If I could rewrite history, I would like to take out the coup after his first election. I believe that was Haiti’s golden opportunity to move forward. Now, I honestly see nothing to prevent Haiti from becoming the next Somalia. There is nothing good to be said about any of the players - Aristide, his supporters who just spent three days terrorizing Port-au-Prince, the rebels - they are all cut from the same cloth. According to the news reports I have read, the new president is generally regarded in Haiti as an honest man. We’ll see.
I fear the only thing that could possibly help Haiti to recover and advance would be an extremely long term sort of international receivership, and oversight. Decades, not months or years. It would take that long a period of stability to encourage investment, business development, to provide the quality of education that is needed, develop tourism, agricultural reform, and last but not least, to instill the notion that armed thugs belong in jail instead of in the government.
Sadly, I don’t see that happening.