Aristide has left Haiti

Printable Version | [eMail this article!] |

President Aristide has left Haiti - 2/29/04 Loney & Scrutton, Reuters, Aristide leaves violence-torn Haiti. Effectively, this means that the democratically elected president of Haiti has been forced from power by armed rebellion. Democracy did not rule in Haiti. This was not a democratic process, and the US did nothing to assist Haiti in either maintaining their democracy, or helping in a smoothe transition if that was required.

I believe that Aristide made some significant errors - in particular in the lactk of control over his police force. However, I think it is critical to realize that given the economic levers applied to Haiti that it was and will be virtually impossible to have any kind of stable political, social, or economic system there. The US and France has undermined the independence of Haiti for over 200 years. They continue to do so. This has largely happened through imposing a crushing debt on that nation.

In my opinion, the US has played a critical role in destabilizing the elected government of Haiti but blocking critical aid and funds into that nation. It also seems to me that the US played a critical role in supporting the rebels by legitimating through the negotiation process. They did this by halting aid until the Rebels and the Aristide government would sit down to negotiate with each other. Given the economic situation of Haiti, such a move made the hardships of the people even more dire. There also seems to be a possiblilty that the US more actively supported the rebels, and was more actively involved in the violent overthrow of the elcted government (See links under "US Involvement in Coup?" below).

Haiti was the first nation of African slaves to throw off the yoke of slavery and become an independent nation (see earlier article More of the Same for Haiti). Both the US and France have made every effort since that time to keep Haiti in economic slavery. In most recent history, this has kept Haiti economically deprived and highly lucrative for exploitation as a cheap labor force. An example of this exploitation comes from No Sweat in their FACTSHEET: Sweatshop transnationals.

Disney’s CEO, Michael Eisner paid himself $200 million in 1996 - $97,6000 per hour - 325,000 times the rate of Haitian workers making their T-shirts.

Only 0.3% of the sale price of Disney’s Pocahantas t-shirts made in Haiti goes to the production workers in wages. Batay Ouvriye, a Hatiain union, says that BVF Apparel, a Disney licensee, has suppressed union activity at its Pot-au-Prince factory where workers are paid only 23 cents and hour (War on Want)

Excuse, but that looks like "slave labor" to me by almost any definition.

Now that Aristide has "stepped aside," one has to wonder if the US will be any more successfull in helping Haiti restore a stable democratic society than they have been in Iraq or Afghanistan. Perhaps the larger question is if the US and France will lift the crushing weight of debt that keeps Haiti under economic colonization. My hopes are not high.

The US needs to significantly change its approach to Haiti. They have been kept under this yoke for too long. The true liberation that Haiti deserves is to be relieved of the unimaginable debt burden. Further, that the US and France should pay economic reparations to Haiti for the interventionist policies that have controlled that nation. Beyond that, corporations who have profited hugely at the cost of Haitian lives, should be required to pay compensation, and to dramatically improve the working conditions of their Haitian labor force.

Resources of Interest
2/29/04 Loney & Scrutton, Reuters, Aristide leaves violence-torn Haiti

2/29/04, Reuters, Quick guide to Haiti

2/29/04, Reuters, CHRONOLOGY-Haiti's turbulent times

US Involvement in Coup?
US and France target Haiti’s elected president for removal, Jones, WSWS, 2/28/04

Bush accused of supporting Haitian rebels, Lindenmayer, UPI, 2/27/04

Haiti's Lawyer: U.S. Is Arming Anti-Aristide Paramilitaries, Goodman & Scahill, DemocracyNow!, 2/25/04

Rising Stakes In Haiti as Ex-Duvalier Thugs Take Over Opposition, Lobe, OneWorld.net, 2/19/04

Five Questions About Haiti and the Coup Attempt, Giodarna, Narco News, 2/19/04

1/97 Barry & Honey, FPIF, U.S. Policy in Haiti

Posted by rowan at February 29, 2004 09:42 AM | TrackBack | Printable Version | [eMail this article!] |