a1036: Durban on New Role for US Ambassador (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Lance Durban <lpdurban@yahoo.com>

Fellow Corbetters:

We are into Year 2 of President Aristide’s second term, and
quite a few have remarked on the sad State of the Haitian Union.
 It’s easy to point the finger of blame, and there are many
perfectly legitimate reasons for failure, but it is useful to
remember all parties should be looking for ways out of the box.


OAS Ambassador Einaudi’s efforts notwithstanding, right now it
strikes me that the ball is squarely in the court of the U.S.
Ambassador in Haiti.   And, I would suggest that the time might
be right for a new job definition for Washington’s top man in
Port-au-Prince.  Traditionally of course, ambassadors exist to
represent their countries on a diplomatic level, oversee foreign
aid programs, and handle consular matters.  I have no problem
with any of that.

In the case of Haiti, however, I would like to see Secretary of
State, Colin Powell add two new criteria in his annual
evaluations of his Ambassador in Port-au-Prince:

      1) performance of the local Haitian economy and
      2) Haitian public opinion of the United States.

By these twin measures, the past year has been a disaster for
our U.S. Ambassador.  But of course it’s unfair to apply these
new criteria looking back, when what we need to be doing is
trying to get ourselves back on the development track.  My
underlying assumption is that the U.S. wants to help Haiti, and
if so, here are some suggestions on how to go about it:

To jump start the Haitian economy...

  a)  The U.S. already recognizes the Aristide presidency,
      as well as the Haitian constitution which grants the
      Haitian president a five year, non-renewable term.
      Why not just explain this, publically, to the 15 people,
      er, parties, of the Democratic Convergence?  Clearly
      both sides in Haiti are playing to Washington, waiting
      for a sign, and for the moment, the signs are telling
      Convergence that negotiations are not necessary.
      Insisting that Aristide negotiate with folks who do not
      want to negotiate strikes me as patently unfair.

  b) Totally re-direct present USAID projects into short term
     job creation efforts to prime the economic pump.  Build
     consumer spending in poor neighborhoods where saving is
     nil, and the Keynesian multiplier will kick in with
     surprising results.

  c) Use those 8 AM meetings at that National Palace to
     preach privatization. If the Aristide administration
     would simply content itself to be the rule maker, rate
     setter, and tax collector, the private sector could and
     would provide all the phone service and electricity the
     country needs and is willing to pay for.

  d) Get involved early in discussions on those infamous IDB
     loans.  Set conditions on how the money will be spent
     with authorized and rigorous audits to ensure
     compliance.  Making sure that loan monies are used for
     their intended purpose is in the stated interest of
     everyone, the Lavalas people and the Democratic
     Convergence.

To improve Haitian public opinion of the United States...

  a) Phase out food aid and replace with a much more visible
     USAID package.  Concentrate on bricks and mortar (short
     term) and education (long term).  Amazingly, Taiwan, with
     its  limited aid budget (reconstruction of Airport Road,
     school programs, agriculture program for rice) is more
     visible than the larger U.S. aid program.  USAID should
     not be run as an undercover operation.

  b) Increase scholarship money for Haitian students to study
     in the U.S. and fund in-country internships to better
     ensure their return to Haiti.   Pair returning Haitian
     interns with Peace Corps volunteers.

  c) Train the U.S. Consulate staff on how to treat the Haitian
     public with courtesy and respect.


Again, the underlying assumption in the above suggestions is
that the U.S. truly wants to help Haiti.  Regrettably, there are
many in Corbettland and beyond who would question that very
assumption.  It is a sad state of affairs indeed when our
Embassy in Port-au-Prince is so far out of touch that it leaves
room for this kind of doubt.

Regards,
Lance Durban


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