Tags for This Article:

Government (3081)  Power (1210)  History (1092)  State (976)  Other (527)  Protest (401)  Conflict (163)  NGOs (32) 

Populum Tag Cloud
       Control Panel
Fine tune your search to access content
Articles
Diaries Products
Events All
All time
Last 6 mos
Last month
Last week
Last 24 hrs
From:
Month  Day   Year

To:
Month  Day   Year
Alphabet
Popularity
Count ON
Count OFF
This Level
Sub-levels

 

 

 

Tag(s): ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Add to My Group
April 14, 2008 at 05:41:25

Peter Hallward's "Damming the Flood"

by Stephen Lendman     Page 5 of 10 page(s)

www.opednews.com

 

Tell A Friend

View Ratings | Rate It  

The real power in Haiti at the time was Michel Francois, a longtime CIA asset, as well as the notorious "Anti-Gang" attache, Marcel Morissaint. A new "Haitian Resistance League" emerged as well to "balance the Aristide movement" and conduct "intelligence work against it." Emmanuel "Toto" Constant was part of it, the notorious founder of FRAPH (in 1993) that terrorized Lavalas supporters.

The repression was so intense, the movement never fully recovered after the 1991 coup. Thousands were killed and many thousands more forced into exile or hiding for their safety, including the most visible Lavalas leaders.



Yet, post-coup conditions enabled Aristide to return to power in October 1994, but his critics say he compromised too much to do it. The evidence, however, shows otherwise even though, on return, Aristide was more diplomatic than confrontational.

Key to understanding his position was his dependence on America for help. Only Washington could end the military dictatorship, restore a democratically elected leader, and provide the kind of aid Haiti needed and/or allow international lending agencies to supply it. It meant sacrificing plenty in preference to getting nothing at all.

Here's what Aristide agreed to:

-- accepting the coup regime as co-equal and a "legitimate party" to negotiations,

-- according its leaders an unconditional amnesty,

-- and replacing (Prime Minister) Preval with an (elitist) acceptable alternative.

On July 3, 1993, Aristide signed the so-called Governors Island Accord that gave Cedras nearly everything he wanted. Nonetheless, he ignored the deal, conditions through mid-1994 worsened, and Washington proposed a new arrangement.

Lavalas was in tatters, Haiti's military wasn't needed, and the Clinton administration agreed to bring Aristide back but keep a tight grip on him. Why do it? As long as he needed US aid, he offered hope for a more stable business climate. He also agreed to US demands to share power, grant amnesty to coup-plotters, and let Washington develop, train and control a new police force. Most important, he agreed to structural adjustment terms and to be no deterrent to the country's elite and international investors.

Aristide returned on October 12, 1994, took over as President, and served out his term until February 7, 1996. About 20,000 Marines came with him, cooperated closely with pro-coup families, protected FRAPH paramilitaries, and contained Haiti's popular movement. The occupation's damage was considerable, yet Aristide had no choice. Accomplishing anything was preferable to nothing in exile.

Nonetheless, on April 28, 1995, he took a major step. He dissolved the hated army altogether. Its significance was considerable and was done despite determined US and elite opposition. In all other respects, Aristide's position was weaker than in 1991. Haiti's administrative structures were in ruins and would take at least months to repair. In addition, his enemies "were neither marginalized nor disarmed....divisions had emerged among some of his supporters," US troops had total control of the country's security, and he had to administer neoliberal measures forced on him that were sure to provoke popular resentment.

Aristide's only choice was to unconditionally agree to harsh economic measures or "insist on a combination of compliance and compensation." He and Fanmi Lavalas (FL) chose the second option. His prime minister and others around him took the first. It showed Aristide acted as independently as possible, stood up for his people, yet, nonetheless, made painful concessions forced on him.

In exchange for $770 million in promised aid, he agreed to drastic tariff cuts, freeze wages, lay off about half (22,000) the civil service, and privatize all nine remaining public utilities. At the same time, he got concessions:

-- new "rice sector support package" investment to improve water management, drainage, provision of fertilizers, pesticides, tools, financial services, and more;

-- laid off civil employees would get a generous severance package, and in the end only 7000 layoffs occurred;

 1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10

 

I am a 72 year old, retired, progressive small businessman concerned about all the major national and world issues, committed to speak out and write about them.

Contact Author
Contact Editor
View Other Articles by Author

 

Bookmark this page: (what's this?)

NETSCAPE      DIGG THIS      Add This Page to Mr Wong!           NEWSVINE      DEl.ICIO.US      Looksmart Furl      My Web      Tag!RawSugar      Blink List     (More...)
Comments: Expand   Shrink   Hide  
1 comments

Except for repeated unsuccessful attempts to obtain a full-time job during the 1980s, my adult life has been spent in nuturing, and witnessing the progress of, my very large family. My personal evaluation of this experience is that it has contributed immeasurably to the expansion of my internal capacity to view other human beings as equal members of the human family before a loving Creator, and compellingly equal members of the society politic before our global institutions of government.
MyTwoCentsExcept for repeated unsuccessful attempts to obtain a full-time job during the 1980s, my adult life has been spent in nuturing, and witnessing the progress of, my very large family. My personal evaluation of this experience is that it has contributed immeasurably to the expansion of my internal capacity to view other human beings as equal members of the human family before a loving Creator, and compellingly equal members of the society politic before our global institutions of government.

"Damming the Flood"

Many thanks to Stephen Lendman for another review of another extremely important book.


"Damming the Flood" fills in the big picture on what U.S. human rights groups, such as Quest for Peace and Center for Constitutional Rights, were telling us about Haiti in the 1990s. It transcends Haiti as simply a national story; something big seems to be taking hold in Latin America. Perhaps, as we face deep recession in the U.S., those grassroots forces will redeem our nation also.

by MyTwoCents (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 36 comments) on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 1:53:33 PM
 

 

1 comments

 

Tell A Friend

 


Copyright © OpEdNews, 2002-2008

Blog Ads

 

 

 

 

Most Popular Articles
in the Last 2 Days
(by Recommend Emails)

BARACK OBAMA On Gandhi's Birthday by Stephen Fox

The dangerous McCain/Palin character assassination of Obama by Sherman Yellen

Naomi Wolf Must Watch Video: A Coup Took Place on October 1, 2008 by youtube

PECK, PECK... SQUAWK! by Rip Rense

Obama Must Appoint a Consumer Protectionist as FDA Commissioner by Stephen Fox

Sarah Palin; Secessionist-- powerful new Youtube Video by youtube

Sarah Palin Broke The Ethics Law In Alaska, And Can Be Impeached by Rev. Bill McGinnis

A Solution? by Paul Craig Roberts

Palin Guilty - Troopergate Witnesses & McCain Campaign Obstructed Justice by Steven Leser

What I Learned At The Sarah Palin Rally Before They Threw Me Out! by Linda Milazzo

Go To Top 50 Most Popular