Will Haiti be forgotten again so soon?

[struggle4progress]

<snip>
Until a rebellion in Haiti in February, French and U.S. policy consisted of complaining about Aristide. Having taken the initiative internationally to rid the impoverished nation of this democratically elected leader, these countries might have been expected to take the lead in a bold strategy to address the country's ills.
<snip>

The multinational force has restored a measure of calm. But ambitious objectives to disarm rebels came to nothing. Washington's most striking idea recently was a threat to prosecute Aristide for corruption or other misdeeds. It is not clear how that would help Haitians.
<snip>

How serious are the key capitals about staying the course in Haiti? Washington is signaling that it wishes to withdraw its troops from Haiti as soon as possible, hardly a come-on to the countries invited to pick up the slack. France will withdraw its troops by July 15. Chile and Canada will leave theirs longer. In one hopeful sign, many Latin American countries have offered troops for the UN peacekeeping operations, which will be commanded by a Brazilian. The 6,700-strong force has been authorized - laughably - for only six months. The UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, had recommended two years.
<snip>

For international actors, dropping the ball - again - in Haiti would put paid to any pretensions of seriousness on democratization, human rights and economic renaissance, which are the themes of America's rhetoric on the Middle East and of French rhetoric on its global priorities.

http://www.iht.com/articles/522602.html

[LittleApple81]

1. It is always forgotten except when we kick the refugees back. n/t

[struggle4progress]

2. Quite literally a bloody tragedy.

[Dirk39]

3. The latest I did hear:

Hello from Germany!

At the tenth of may, US-Marines under the leadership of US-first lieutenant David Lapas did attack the house of an old women with granades and automatic weapons and brutally arrested 11 members and friends of her family.
Two of them under 5 years old. And the reason is: "Auguste", a Haitian singer, is known as a supporter of Aristides Lavalas-party.
At the same time the webpage of the US-Embassy in Haiti quotes the 3-year old daugher of DAVID LAPAS:
»Oh, that's okay«, Katherine replies: »My Daddy ist in Haiti to help the people there.«

One week after the flood about 10 000 families are in complete isolation. 2600 are missing or have died since the rainfalls.

Michael Kaasch of the private german NGO Haiti-Care e.V.: »During the last days, US-troops did throw care-packets out of their planes and then left: After they left, armed gangs did steal all the packages.

http://www.jungewelt.de/2004/06-03/009.php

For me, it shows the brutal character of the ruling people in the USA even more than the criminal occupation of Iraq:
If anyone only dares not to overthrow, but to soften the most brutal aspects of capitalism, like democratic elected Aristide did, we're smashing you against the wall, and then we leave.

Thanx for the article,
Dirk

[Disturbed]

4. Another Capitalist Coup

Seems that most Americans couldn't care any less about that country.

Why?

[struggle4progress]

6. With a somewhat heavy heart, I suggest racism plays a role:

while Aristide was driven out, one bulletin board I sometimes look at was dominated by the most vicious racist garbage imaginable.

[madrchsod]

5. you don`t understand

the kids in haiti can sew major league baseballs better than anyone in the world. hell, we`ll prob. send them orders for soccer balls now that we can`t get the kids from pakistan to sew them anymore...

[Dirk39]

7. Haiti and the insanity of ‘official’ denial

"Haiti and the insanity of ‘official’ denial
by Anthony Fenton

As many as nine peaceful demonstrators were killed in Haiti on May 18, as tens of thousands of people took to the streets despite the risk - and reality - of violent repression by international forces and a militarized Haitian police force. These demonstrators were calling for an end to the illegal occupation by U.S., Canadian and French forces and for the return of overthrown President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

The mainstream media has already done its best to cover this up, which isn’t difficult considering that most corporations no longer have journalists covering Haiti, save for Associated Press (AP), Reuters and the Miami Herald. The readership of these sources has scarcely been privy to any of the realities in Haiti for quite some time.
(...)

Across the globe, denial is all that the U.S. Empire and its vassal states have to rely on. This posture of denial is fuelled by the criminal propaganda that passes as news and journalism as churned out by gigantic and increasingly concentrated media corporations. How long can this denial hold up? As long as we allow it to, I suppose, and as long as there is virtually no social cost to be attributed to the perpetuation of this insanity.

Haitians can only endure the deadly realities of a U.S., Canadian, French and Chilean military occupation, while death squads hunt them down with impunity in the North. At any given time, mass mobilizations in solidarity by the citizens of these occupying countries will be welcomed by Haitians."
http://www.sfbayview.com/052604/officialdenial052604.shtml


Here in Germany, besides some paranoid radical communist socialist weird newspapers, nobody wants to read, Haiti doesn't exist anymore, after the evil corrupt dictator Aristide was toppled by the people of Haiti with the support of the greatest democratic nation of them all.
Only exception: these people, who don't really know how to organize themselves and who desperately need the help of multinational corporations are the victims of natural disasters from time to time.
A little flood here, a litte bit of rain there...


Hello from Germany,
Dirk

[struggle4progress]

8. Unfortunately, Haiti went "down the memory hole" here, too