WI Papa Doc stayed rational?

The Vulture

Banned
For starters, I'd like to say that this is my very first post, and I want to apologize in advance for any breaches of protocol, etiquette, or clarity I might make. There are a result of ignorance and not malice.

In May 1959, the President of Haiti, Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier suffered a massive heart attack that left him in a coma for several hours. After his recovery, he grew increasingly irrational, and the government of Haiti increasingly oppressive. For example, he once ordered the head of a criminal severed and brought to him so he might speak with the man's spirit. It is now believed that Duvalier suffered neurological damage due to his heart attack that caused him to become paranoid and irrational.

Now comes the supposing part. What if this heart attack never happened and this brain damage never occurred? The Tonton Macoutes were already operating at this point and there was some repression, but might it not have fizzled out eventually?

Or, in another scenario, what if the heart attack did occur, but instead left him with a deeper respect for human life and its fragility?

What might the effects on US foreign policy be?
 
For starters, I'd like to say that this is my very first post, and I want to apologize in advance for any breaches of protocol, etiquette, or clarity I might make. There are a result of ignorance and not malice.

In May 1959, the President of Haiti, Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier suffered a massive heart attack that left him in a coma for several hours. After his recovery, he grew increasingly irrational, and the government of Haiti increasingly oppressive. For example, he once ordered the head of a criminal severed and brought to him so he might speak with the man's spirit. It is now believed that Duvalier suffered neurological damage due to his heart attack that caused him to become paranoid and irrational.

Now comes the supposing part. What if this heart attack never happened and this brain damage never occurred? The Tonton Macoutes were already operating at this point and there was some repression, but might it not have fizzled out eventually?

Or, in another scenario, what if the heart attack did occur, but instead left him with a deeper respect for human life and its fragility?

What might the effects on US foreign policy be?

Welcome! :) And interesting first post WI! Not enough Haiti questions.

Anyway, we probably just see Standard Caribbean Dictatorship 1.0 (TM). Recall even before the heart attack Papa Doc still considers Baron Samedi his patron Loa (met tet), still commands the Tonton Macoute as you mentioned, and still believes deeply in Vodou (was an houngan, or priest of vodou). So as to the latter, talking to a dead man's spirit is actually arguably "rational". Hell, channeling his spirit would be an option!

I'd think it might be more like Baby Doc's reign, but the guy was animal crackers even before, so it might go wacky anyway.
 
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