Haiti requests US send troops following president's assassination

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: ABC News

Haiti's government has requested the U.S. send troops to help stabilize the country and secure critical infrastructure like oil reserves and its port and airport in the wake of the assassination of its president earlier this week, Haitian Elections Minister Mathias Pierre told ABC News Friday. The deployment of U.S. forces would mark a major escalation of U.S. involvement, one that it's unclear President Joe Biden is interested in making.

The U.S. has agreed to send senior officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to Haiti to assist the government's investigation of the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, the White House announced Friday.

The assistance comes after two U.S. citizens were among the 17 men arrested by Haitian authorities for the head of state's shocking murder, which threatens to plunge Haiti further into chaos amid competing claims to power.

The political and security crises afflicting the Caribbean country are rivaled only by the coronavirus pandemic. Haiti is one of only a handful of countries in the world that has yet to distribute a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and that will once again be delayed because of the deep insecurity, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/haiti-requests-us-send-troops-following-presidents-assassination/ar-AALYzqS?li=BBnb7Kz

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I have mixed feelings on this one. If we can bring stability then great. We have a history of intervening in that country however that's not very pretty

[Sgent]

1. Even more than that

I think providing even peacekeeping puts our troops in the middle of a PM's power grab.

I would feel much more confident if it was a task force of the UN/OAS or even a collection of troops / support from Caribbean nations led by a Canadian.

That said, we are getting into the heart of hurricane season and this could go from very bad to worse.

[róisín_dubh]

25. Ehhhh the UN peacekeepers' history in Haiti is problematic.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/18/world/americas/haiti-un-peacekeepers.html

But I understand your point.

[Deuxcents]

2. I have mixed feelings, too

And agree with your assessment. But.. it’s been a long time for Haiti to have some real stability n economic gains as we know the poverty there. Infrastructure n on n on and we can’t get it right with our territory of Puerto Rico after all this time. What about the alliances of the Americas..sorry, forgot the name.. this needs everyone in on it. Sadly, it will take forever to agree n then another forever to get it done. My agreement was for the original poster..

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

3. OAS - Organization of American States

[Deuxcents]

5. TY

[jimfields33]

4. Heck no! We are finally getting out of wars.

Let the UN take charge of it.

[Sgent]

6. Even if its a UN banner

in the front, it will have to be a lot of US troops in the rear. Canada, Columbia, and Brazil probably are the ones that can most spare troops other than the US, and Columbia is a non-starter and Brazil doesn't speak either language.

[jimfields33]

7. Drat. Maybe the FBI can figure this out

[left-of-center2012]

8. "Canada, Columbia, and Brazil"

Didn't the news say most of the killers were Colombian?

Colombian troops may not be welcome.

[Sgent]

14. Absolutely

That's why I said Columbia was not an option. Brazil would probably be OK, but given the state at home their President may not agree. That leaves the US, Canada, and Argentina, possibly with a smattering of others including Caribbean nations.

US policy would default be against anyone from Europe due to the still enforced Monroe Doctrine.

[oldsoftie]

23. Yes. People need to see the UN is toothless without the US

And UN deployments consisting only of other countries troops have many times been stained by corruption and sexual abuse

[OnlinePoker]

16. UN missions to Haiti in the 90's and 2004-2017 didn't stabilize the country long-term.

The problem is, like Afghanistan, once the foreign troops leave, it becomes a lawless free for all again. And let's not forget the U.N. troops from Nepal introduced cholera to Haiti in 2010, something that had never been there before.

[Devil Child]

9. Hell no.

[left-of-center2012]

10. The U.S. has a history of troops in Haiti

My dad was there with the marines around 1930.
We occupied it from 1914 - 1933.

We went in again around 1964.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_occupation_of_Haiti#American_invasion

[JI7]

11. France should send some

[malthaussen]

36. You like irony, do you? n/t

[Jedi Guy]

12. On the one hand, I see the need for intervention to promote stability.

On the other hand, this may sound cold, but... this isn't our problem. As others have pointed out, if different people are struggling for power, that puts our troops right in the middle of it, which could end up in casualties.

I don't necessarily see the benefit of investing blood and treasure there, particularly when we have so much that needs to be fixed here at home. US interventionism hasn't exactly worked out well for anyone just lately, so maybe best if we sit this one out and let the UN take the lead.

We've got to get our own house in order right now.

[GulfCoast66]

13. Hard no from me.

If under the UN banner I might have less reservations. But even then we should not run the show.

How would Haiti respond to French troops? Their language would be an advantage. The soldiers probably could not understand their Patois, but the people would likely understand the French. Or so my Haitian employees have told me. Plus educated Haitians speak French. But I don’t know if there is a resentment of the French.

[Sgent]

17. I imagine its the same level

of understanding I have with Jamaica Patois. They can understand me, and I can understand most of them -- the better educated they are the better I can understand them. Political speeches, radio, etc. are mostly in English rather than Patois.

That said my BIL went fishing with a few of their older fishermen (in a village, not city), and couldn't understand 2 of 3 for anything, and the third required gestures.

[nycbos]

29. The UN's history in Haiti isn't factly inspiring either.

[Polybius]

15. Yeah no

Not my problem.

[Mr.Bill]

18. No No No No No No,

NO.

[Jose Garcia]

19. Let Haiti sink?

"If Haiti just quietly sunk into the Caribbean or rose up 300 feet, it wouldn't matter a whole lot in terms of our interest."

This is not a Henry Kissinger quote.

[totodeinhere]

20. No. US troops cannot help them. They are too far gone already. n/t

[Warpy]

21. We haveb't been asked to provide stability

just protect the few things they still have. One hopes a medical unit would be sent to immunize health care workers, at the very least.

I hope they catch a clue and request help from the UN if they want troops to provide stability if the need arises. So far, it's not our job and shouldn't be.

[tonekat]

22. Absolutely not!

This would kill the Dems. And guess what would follow? Once of that was enough. This sounds like a quagmire that will get criticism from all corners. Lose-lose situation.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

28. Quagmire?

How?

[dalton99a]

24. NO.

Extremely bad idea

[Rebl2]

26. I'm with you

NO

[greenjar_01]

27. Why is Haiti like a US colony? We send troops, police, money, etc.

So fucking weird. It's a sovereign nation for goodness sake.

[generalbetrayus]

30. Maybe someone is worried about the Cubans moving in?

[greenjar_01]

33. Whut?

[IronLionZion]

31. Haiti is strategically important to the US for trafficking interdiction in the Caribbean

and ties with Haitian-Americans in Miami, NYC, and other cities like New Orleans. They are valuable to Coast Guard operations in the area.

They coincidentally will always need lots of aid from the US. Obama and Clinton have sent military assistance to Haiti so it's nothing new.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

32. Looks like we won't be, at least not yet.

U.S. Won't Send Troops to Haiti, Officials Say

The U.S. has declined Haiti’s request for U.S. troops to help stabilize the country after the assassination of its president, but is sending security officials to assess the situation, senior Biden administration officials said Saturday.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has plunged into political uncertainty since the brazen killing of President Jouvenal Moïse. Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph has imposed a two-week state of emergency and his government asked the U.S. to deploy troops to protect infrastructure ahead of elections that had been slated for September.

U.S. officials said there are currently no plans to provide military assistance. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security officials are due to arrive in Haiti on Sunday as the Biden administration consults with Haitian authorities and international partners, the officials said.

The situation in Haiti is tenuous. “We need U.S. troops to help us provide security to the population, to efficiently confront the Covid-19 pandemic and to assist in the investigation of Mr. Moïse’s assassination,” a spokesman for Mr. Joseph said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-wont-send-troops-to-haiti-officials-say/ar-AAM0azo

[marble falls]

34. Oh, the fucking irony! If we go, we bring enough vaccination for Haiti and the DR, an if we don't ..

... we send the vaccinations anyway with the organization to do it - International Red Cross, Navy Medical Corps, National Guard, Doctors Without Borders, and train Haitians about organizing this sort of thing.

[malthaussen]

35. Been there, done that. n/t

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

37. Senior FBI, Homeland Security officials in Haiti to discuss U.S. assistance after assassination

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Senior FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials arrived in the Haitian capital on Sunday to discuss how the United States might assist the country after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, but the Biden administration has not granted Haitian officials’ requests for U.S. troops to help provide security.

Sporadic gunfire erupted in Port-au-Prince late Saturday and early Sunday, piercing the relative calm that followed Moïse’s killing as violent gangs threatened to fill the power vacuum in a country that now has no clear leader. One powerful gang leader called his followers to the streets this week as residents shuttered their doors against the possibility of more bloodshed in a city already terrorized by criminal violence.

In the mystery and confusion immediately after Moïse’s assassination last week, the gangs gave the city something of a reprieve from the torrent of gunfire that has killed hundreds this year. But while answers remain elusive — the motive for the president’s killing remains unknown, and at least four men have claimed they’re in charge now — the peace has now been broken.

The city’s most powerful gang leader, Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, called followers into the streets in the coming days to demand “justice against this cowardly assassination carried out by foreign mercenaries in the country.” In a video message Saturday, the self-styled revolutionary asked other gang leaders to join him in the violence.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/senior-fbi-homeland-security-officials-in-haiti-to-discuss-us-assistance-after-assassination/ar-AAM25oy

[orangecrush]

38. Hmmmm

Sounds like mercs based in Florida.

Did anti Castro right wingers want this guy dead?

Or anyone associated with DeSantis or Rump?

Pure conjecture.

[Bucky]

39. The US has a long track record of delivering emergency supplies in the Caribbean

Our navy has the skill set to deliver and distribute emergency supplies.

We also unfortunately have a history of sending troops into Caribbean countries for less humanitarian purposes. I'm not wild about sending in army and Marine units for crowd control. I guess the MP units have some experience with that. But, whoa nelly, that is a messy situation.

Along with Venezuela, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, the US should be low down on the list of countries to send in armed personnel. Maybe Mexico or Jamaica would be better.