Wake Up

Yesterday’s issue of The Progress Report had a nice piece about the chaos taking place in Haiti, and how the U.S. shares in the blame for it.

With the departure of Haitian President Jean Bertrand-Aristide, questions are swirling about the Bush Administration’s past and future role in the crisis. While Aristide faced legitimate questions about his leadership and human rights record in Haiti, he was democratically elected to a six-year term in 2000. That “counted little as rebels gobbled up territory” – but it also seemed to count little to the Bush Administration, which ultimately echoed the demands of the “drug traffickers and death squad leaders” who pushed for Aristide’s removal. While Secretary of State Colin Powell initially repudiated the coup, Powell changed his position, calling on Aristide to undertake a “careful examination” of whether he should step down. Soon after, the White House “hardened its position” and essentially demanded that Aristide step down “in a harsh statement that placed much of the blame on the Haitian president for the deadly crisis.” (See this American Progress review of issues and background to the crisis.)

There’s also discussion of American complicity in the rebellion and what might happen next. If all you’ve heard about the situation is vague big media comments that almost lead you to believe that the rebels are the good guys, you need to read this piece. They’ve got even more in today’s new piece.

See also:

Aristide: US forced me to leave

U.S. political maneuvering behind the ouster

President Aristide says ‘I was kidnapped’

U.S. foments Papa Doc restoration