More of the same for Haiti

The US lack of stabilizing action in regard to the events in Haiti is nothing new. In an excellent article in the Independent (2/23/04), Throttled by history, Gary Younge lays out a synopsis of Haiti's history. The bicentenial of Haiti's declaration of independence is on the horizon. Almost 200 years ago Haiti was a slave state. They rose up and threw off Napoleon's yoke, and have drawn the wrath and hostility of the "west." As Younge states:

For ever since Haitian slaves expressed their desire to breathe freely, western powers have been attempting to strangle its desire for democracy and prosperity at birth.

He continues:

From the outset Haiti inherited the wrath of the colonial powers, which knew what a disastrous example a Haitian success story would be. In the words of Napoleon Bonaparte: "The freedom of the negroes, if recognised in St Domingue [as Haiti was then known] and legalised by France, would at all times be a rallying point for freedom-seekers of the New World." He sent 22,000 soldiers (the largest force to have crossed the Atlantic at the time) to recapture the "Pearl of the Antilles".

France, backed by the US, later ordered Haiti to pay 150m francs in gold as reparations to compensate former plantation and slave owners as well as for the costs of the war in return for international recognition. At today's prices that would amount to £10bn. By the end of the 19th century, 80% of Haiti's national budget was going to pay off the loan and its interest, and the country was locked into the role of a debtor nation - where it remains today.

Any prospect of planting a stable political culture foundered on the barren soil of economic impoverishment, military siege and international isolation (for the first 58 years the US refused to even recognise Haiti's existence). In 1915, fearing that internal strife would compromise its interests, the US invaded, and remained until 1934.

In short, Haiti was driven into poverty by France and the US, and subsequent to 1934 have been kept their through the shackles of international "aid." The US supported the vicious regime of "Poppa Doc" Duvalle, and supported the election of Aristide with the criteria that he accept the IMF and World Bank conditions for entering the "global" community. Haiti remains one of the most economically enslaved nations in the world with unbelievable poverty. It is an environment where hardly any political process will long stand the pressure of hunger and the burden of massive debt and structured dependence.

But the hypocrisy of the US in relationship to Haiti goes beyond simply economic shackles. US immigration and refugee legislation does not apply to Haitians. Haitians trying to escape Haiti - overcrowding boats and many dying at sea, are sent to Guantanamo then returned to Haiti. If caught near US shores they are incarcerated and deported. As noted in New Haitian exodus? Same old US treatment of refugees Christian Science Monitor, 2/03/04):

The US has long had a double standard when it comes to Haitian refugees. And with the war on terror as an excuse, the Bush administration has raised the bar for Haitians looking for refuge in the US. When two large boatloads of Haitians arrived in south Florida in December 2001 and October 2002, the US implemented new measures aimed at deterring Haitians from ever attempting to flee their homeland. These measures drastically reduced the time refugees had to make their case and limited the ways they could exercise their rights to plead asylum. These changes, coupled with the "shout test" - which requires a migrant picked up at sea to literally cry out for help once aboard a US vessel even to have a shot at political asylum - have proved an effective deterrent.

Of the 1,490 Haitians interdicted last year, just one received refugee status. But that Haitian remains - along with four other compatriots who received refugee status in 2002 - at Guantánamo awaiting resettlement in a third country.

Many have accused the US of blatant racism when it comes to Haitian refugees. This is not surprising if you recall a case a couple of years ago when some Haitian refugees rescued some drowning Cubans. On reaching US shores, the Cubans were given asylum, and the Haitians were incarcerated and deported. THEY WERE IN THE SAME BOAT!

But there is perhaps something even more despicable that the way that the US deals with Haitian refugees, and its lack of positive intervention in the bloody rebellion now happening. That is that the rebellion looks to be backed by the United States - Haiti's lawyer: US Is Arming Anti-Aristide Paramilitaries, Calls For UN Peacekeepers (Democracy Now!, 2/25/04):

The US lawyer representing the government of Haiti charged today that the US government is directly involved in a military coup attempt against the country's democratically elected President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Ira Kurzban, the Miami-based attorney who has served as General Counsel to the Haitian government since 1991, said that the paramilitaries fighting to overthrow Aristide are being backed by Washington.

"I believe that this is a group that is armed by, trained by, and employed by the intelligence services of the United States," Kurzban told the national radio and TV program Democracy Now!. "This is clearly a military operation, and it's a military coup."

The response of the US has been clear - they want "regime change" in Haiti. As noted by Goodman and Scahill in the DN report, two weeks primary to the first rebel activity, the US began preparing more Haitian refugee space at Guantanamo. They also note "Several of the paramilitary leaders now rampaging Haiti are men who were at the forefront of the US-backed campaign of terror during the 1991-94 coup against Aristide. Among the paramilitary figures now leading the current insurrection is Louis Jodel Chamblain, the former number 2 man in the FRAPH paramilitary death squad."

If this is a coup attempt backed by the US, it is more in line with the way the US has done "regime change" in the past. That is, funding "rebels" to overthrow a legitimate government (i.e. Nicaragua, Panama, and Colombia). The attempted overthrow of the Chavez Venezuelan presidency a year and a half ago, was less militaristic and largely involved funding and propaganda aid - as well as official US pressure on Chavez.

So the questions must be asked. Is the current coup attempt in Haiti backed by the US and to what end? Actually, why has the US historically and continuously undermined and suppressed Haiti? I don't have the answer to that. I do not see what possible gain there is to the ongoing policy of oppression. I do not believe that it is simply racism on a grand scale though certainly that is present. What good does it do anyone to keep Haiti poor and chaotic at the cost of millions of lives lost and degraded over the years. I wish I had an answer, but I do not. What has resulted from this ongoing oppression is a new justification for the treatment of the people of Haiti - a terrorist hot spot - as declared by Ashcroft last April (CSM article).

Whatever the basis for the ongoing US policy towards Haiti, I feel that it is morally wrong and most likely illegal under international law. However, that has never given the US pause before, and I doubt that it will this time either. If you feel powerless in this situation, then offer up a good thought for the people of Haiti. If it ticks you off, then start writing those letters to your representatives and to GW. It seems to me that the least we can do is make a stink.

Other News
2/19/04 Lobe, OneWorldNet, Rising Stakes In Haiti as Ex-Duvalier Thugs Take Over Opposition

2/16/04 Reeves, ZNet, US Double Game in Haiti

Posted by rowan at February 25, 2004 8:42 PM | TrackBack | [eMail this article!] |