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The Crisis in Haiti Made in the USA
Sign a petition about Haiti: print, sign, collect signatures, and mail in.
The bloody takeover of Haiti by violent enemies of democracy carrying U.S.-made weapons should be rejected by all those who support democracy and reject terrorist methods! The government of President Jean Bertrand Aristide was fairly and democratically elected, according to international observers, and should be restored to office, as well as held accountable for abuses committed by its agents.
If the Coup is Allowed to Remain, Who will Govern Haiti? Guy Philippe, one of the main coup leaders, has been implicated in drug trafficking, and was trained by US forces in Ecuador in the early 1990s. Philippe, who recently stated that his model is former Chilean dictator Agosto Pinochet, was a member of the Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti (FRAPH), which terrorized Haiti during the first coup against Aristide from 1990 to 1994. Louis Jodel Chamblain, another leader of the current coup, was convicted in absentia for a massacre committed in 1994, a period when thousands of Haitians were killed by the military government and by FRAPH. The coup leaders have so little popular support they have refused to run for election.
What is Aristide’s Record? Aristide was a priest for the rural poor and has acted with special consideration for the nation’s desperately poor as Haiti’s president. He doubled the minimum wage and refused to privatize state companies. This has alienated him from the country’s small elite, the Bush Administration and IMF. Members of the Aristide government clearly committed abuses. Even if reports of the most egregious abuses are true, they do not warrant the violent overthrow of a democratically elected government. Many reports of abuses are unclear or contradictory, or lack context about the actions of anti-government forces, and should be investigated by an impartial body, such as the United Nations.
What Role Has Bush Administration Played in the Ouster of Aristide? The Bush administration’s policy in Haiti has been overseen by Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega, former chief of staff for former senator Jesse Helms, who was a declared enemy of President Aristide. In 2002, the United States supplied M-16’s to the Dominican Republic’s armed forces, supposedly for use along the Haitian border, and deployed 900 U.S. troops at the border. Many of Philippe’s men are now armed with M-16’s. As Congresswoman Maxine Waters has demanded, "The U.S. government must investigate how these thugs were armed and explain how the M-16’s got into their hands."
In addition, the US attacked the Aristide government economically by blocking development loans worth more than $145 million, effectively feeding the political opposition to Aristide. Aristide’s ability to aid the poor was also limited by restrictions imposed by the International Monetary Fund.
Multiple sources indicate that Jean Bertrand Aristide was forced to submit a resignation letter, and that he was coerced to leave Haiti by US officials. As armed Haitian anti-government forces stormed the countryside in February, killing many civilians, the White House blocked an attempt by President Aristide to increase his security guard, which was provided by a US firm on a State Department approved contract.
Instead, the United States sent in troops AFTER Aristide was forced out, reinforcing his ouster. Despite the killings committed by and illegal nature of the rebels, the chief of the US military force in Haiti met with Philippe on March 3, but did not seek to arrest him.
History of US in Haiti: There is a long history of US military and economic intervention in Haitian affairs. Haiti won independence from France in 1804 but was not recognized by the US until 1864 because as a nation of freed slaves it threatened American slavery. Military interventions occurred in the 1880s, and US Marines occupied and ran Haiti from 1915 to 1934. The legacy of that intervention went deep, both because of US racism (Marines called Haitians "gooks") and because upon its departure, the US military handed power to a Haitian guard led by Papa "Doc" Duvalier. The dictatorial reign of Duvalier and his son continued until 1986, when the popular nonviolent movement led by Aristide toppled the Duvalier regime.
Drawn largely from the statement of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Also see www.criticalconcern.net and www.haitiaction.net/news E-mail wwfor@connectexpress.com (206) 789-5565
Sign a petition about Haiti: print, sign, collect signatures, and mail in by April 2, 2004.
webposted 3/24/04, corrections to bb369@scn.org
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