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Alternative Insight
Haiti's Real Tragedy
Much has been written on the crisis and devastation in Haiti. Too little focus has been given to the real tragedy - the lack of function of a Haitian authority. Severe earthquakes and other momentous calamities have destroyed areas of third world nations. Nevertheless, unless the western press has properly failed to report the aftermath of those catastrophes, reports have never shown the severe lack of authority for providing medicines, food and shelter for the stricken population, as the world witnessed in the aftermath of Haiti's earthquake.Detractors often criticize the United States for hypocrisy, preaching, a 'holier than thou' attitude, and interference in the functions of sovereign nations. Just as there has been excessive but necessary coverage to the Haitian earthquake, there is excessive but necessary coverage to U.S. role in many world tragedies. Unfortunately, U.S. relations with Haiti follow each of the described criticisms. The U.S. governments played a role in the Haitian government passivity that traumatized the Haitian people after the severe earthquake.
Haitian Government Failures
This report is based upon viewing extensive television and media coverage.
Police forces usually provide immediate relief to earthquake victims, to rescue those under the rubble and prevent rioting, thievery and looting. The government convenes and tries to chart a path to recovery, and officials circulate among the people to give them confidence. Television and media did not report appearances of police forces and government officials. No trucks, earth moving or heavy equipments were shown - not even a shovel.
The government can claim that cabinet members were killed or missing, but although President Rene Preval survived, he gave no indication of using all efforts to locate officials, coordinate the police and army or speak to his people. The day following the earthquake, the president was located at the airport. In an interview, he only noted his Presidential Palace had been destroyed and he had no place to sleep. Imagine a president cannot find a military barracks, hotel or associate to give him a place to sleep.
Several days later, after leaving a meeting of his government, President Preval's only words were that he was told the place was not safe and he had to go elsewhere - little about the meeting.
Only private citizens were seen digging for survivors, and when they needed additional assistance only foreign aid workers came to their aid. When CNN, which showed dead bodies being dumped in a field, questioned a Haitian minister about this practice, the minister denied it was happening and didn't volunteer to see the site. She also could not explain why many bodies were not being identified before being dumped or buried.
Where were the Haitian ambassadors? There didn't seem to be any effort to coordinate and bring relief from neighboring Dominican Republic. In a CNN interview with the Haitian ambassador to U.S., the diplomat claimed that since he was in Washington he couldn't know what was happening in Port-au Prince. The ambassador rudely hung up the telephone after being when asked if he contacted his government.
Christiane Amanpour's interview with Haiti's Prime Minister questioned why there were a scarce number of heavy tents. The PM response: "We are looking into that. Even President Preval went to look into the matter." As for the lack of government assistance, the Prime Minister claimed the government depleted its prepared reserves for this type of calamity and needed foreign aid. These "reserves" were not evident on television.
How can a government become so inept in a time of emergency? A brief history of Haiti tells the story.
U.S. Role in the Haitian Government Passivity
This summary originally appeared in a classic and continually updated Alternative Insight article: Failures of U.S. Foreign Policy.
U.S. Marines invaded a Haiti wrought with internecine warfare in 1915 and thus began a 19 year military occupation. The invasion commander, Rear Adm. William Caperton, Jr. categorized the intervention as a means to ``protect American and foreign interests." Marine Maj. Gen. Smedley Darlington Butler -- the first commandant of the new U.S.-created Haitian constabulary categorized his mission as a ’’glorified bill-collecting agency.’’During the1920's, American presidents Coolidge and Hoover introduced public works programs that energized Haiti's economy. After the marines left, Haiti drifted back to chaos and corruption that culminated in the election of President, and soon to be dictator, Francois Duvalier.
Duvalier's repressive and authoritarian rule angered the Kennedy administration and the U.S. suspended aid to Haiti in mid-1962. Nothing changed. Duvalier remained in power until his death in 1971. His 19 year old son, Jean-Claude Duvalier, became Haiti's new leader. Unrest in Haiti continued and, in January 1986, the Reagan administration recommended the dictator's departure. At the last minute, Jean-Claude decided to remain in Haiti.and his decision provoked violence.
After the United States Department of State cut aid to Haiti on January 31, 1986, the Haitian military forced Jean-Claude Duvalier to depart on February 7, 1986. Haiti remained in economic decline and in 1990 sixty eight percent of a marginated population coalesced to elect liberation-theologian Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide as president.
Aristide could not resolve Haiti's economic and social problems or thwart his powerful opposition. On September 30, 1991, Haitian soldiers staged a coup and Gen. Raoul Cedras became defacto leader of the country.
The overthrow of a legally elected democratic government and a perception of oppression that was reinforced by massive amounts of boat refugees aroused progressives in the United States and Black groups, such as the Black Caucus and TransAmerica, to petition the Clinton government for action against the Haitian government. Unlike the Cuban refugees during that era, the Haitian refugees were not permitted easy entry to the United States. The Clinton administration realized it could resolve the refugee problem by ousting the Haitian government and returning Aristide to power.
On July 31, 1994, UN Resolution 940 allowed the U.S. to lead a multinational force to force the departure of the Haitian military chiefs. At the last minute, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter managed to negotiate the exit of General Raoul Cedras and other Haitian leaders and permit a 28-nation multinational force of 20,000-strong, led by the United States, to enter Haiti. On 15 October 1994, Aristide returned to Haiti, and as part of Carter's negotiated agreement, recovered his presidency.
Aristide's governing repeated his earlier presidency - chaos, friction and economic decline. The constitution barred Aristide from serving a second term when his term elapsed in 1996 and Rene Preval provided a four year interlude for Aristide. In the next election on November 26, 2000, Aristide was re-elected president and sworn in as Haiti's president. Aristide ran virtually unopposed. Many opposition groups boycotted the election and accused his Lavalas Party of fraud.
Haiti Protests Draw Musicians, Artists -- PETER PRENGAMAN, Associated Press Writer, Dec. 23, 2003.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Some of Haiti's most famous musicians on Tuesday held a free concert calling for President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's resignation while artists painted rainbows over pro-government graffiti. The coalition of more than 1,000 musicians, painters and writers organized the demonstration at the University of Haiti to show solidarity with students who were attacked by Aristide partisans earlier this month. Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has been in turmoil since Aristide's Lavalas Family party swept flawed 2000 elections.
"When I was a student here 20 years ago I used to sing against the dictatorship," said Sweet Mickey singer Michel Martelly, referring to Francois and Jean-Claude Duvalier. "Twenty years later nothing's changed."
In a repeat of past history Jean-Bertrand Aristide has been ousted and is in exile. UN peacekeepers struggled against anarchy. Haiti returned to 1984. And why? The New York Times. Jan. 29, 2006:
Mr. Curran (former U.S. ambassador) accused the democracy-building group, the International Republican Institute, of trying to undermine the reconciliation process after disputed 2000 Senate elections threw Haiti into a violent political crisis. The group's leader in Haiti, Stanley Lucas, an avowed Aristide opponent from the Haitian elite, counseled the opposition to stand firm, and not work with Mr. Aristide, as a way to cripple his government and drive him from power, said Mr. Curran, whose account is supported in crucial parts by other diplomats and opposition figures.
In February 2006, the Haitian people re-elected former president Rene Preval. The Electoral Council declared Preval did not have a majority, but local and international protests prompted the Electoral Council to reverse its decision and declare Preval the winner. During 2006 Haiti drifted into anarchy and violence. A surge in crime, most notably kidnappings, even of children, brought severe retaliation by government security forces.
The U.S. sponsored 1994 departure of General Raoul Cedras and other Haitian leaders and its forceful actions that promoted a 28-nation multinational force of 20,000-strong to enter Haiti, might have seemed to be a good idea at the time. The demobiliuzation of all Hatian military gorces might have also seemed a good idea.
However, the U.S. directed policies have not turned out well for the Haitian people.
Which brings us to the tragic aftermath of the earthquake.alternativeinsight
february, 2010
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