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#1843: Re: #1781 Driver replies to Sinai
From: Tom F. Driver <tfd3@columbia.edu>
Joshua Sinai asks me:
"In September 1994 when the U.S.-led "intervasion" restored
President Aristide to power, and undertook an enormous effort to
help build up democratic political and judicial institutions, was this an
example of thwarting the aims of popular movements...? Was
Aristide not a representative of the "popular movements"?"
If the U.S. Govt. had wanted to reverse the 1991 coup against Aristide and
the popular movement that had brought him to office, it could have done so
almost immediately, as then-President George Bush at first promised to do.
Instead, it waited three years, during which time the CIA was active in Haiti
on behalf of Aristide's enemies, and arms continued to go, secretly, to the
military in Haiti. Aristide was not returned to power until, bowing to U.S. will,
he agreed to the economic plans the U.S. wanted. His doing so put a crack
in the Lavalas movement that has grown into the deep and paralyzing split
that exists today.
I do not for a minute belive that the U.S. since 1994 (or at any other time)
has put "enormous effort" into building up Haiti's democratic political and
judicial instituions. Of course, it CLAIMS to do so, but look at the results. If
you saw the CBS '60 Minutes' story about the USAID's work on the Haitian
judicial system, you saw that these "enormous efforts" have done virtually
nothing to answer the cries of the people for justice.
-------------
Tom F. Driver
New York City
<tfd3@columbia.edu>