14738: Sanba: Re:14733: Smith: RE: Democracy Unraveling: Political Violence in Hai ti 2002 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: sanba@juno.com

(The report, Democracy Unraveling:  Political Violence in Haiti 2002, finds that Haiti has "continued its downward spiral of political devolution" since the Multi-National Forces restored President Jean Bertrand Aristide to office in 1994.  It says that in 2002, "Human rights violations were pervasive, including more than 150 political murders, suspicious disappearances or deaths, and quasi political gangland slayings.")

The finding reported seems bias in this sense that it is not clearly defined or depicted, let alone explained from whom the devolution of the so-called Political Violence takes place. Ambiguously enough it mentioned 150 political gangland slayings that would entrust the most reputable and respectable U.S. Committee for Refugees (a public information and advocacy program of Immigration and Refugee Services of America (IRSA), a nongovernmental, non-profit organization)the right to state that all have begun since the Multi-National Forces restored President Jean Bertrand Aristide to office in 1994. Thousands times NO!

Speaking of violence, by the way, we must concede even without condoning it, and far from that, that 150 reprehensible cases of violence" in 365 days from both sides of the so-called crisis in a country of 8 million  guarded by a weak Police of 5,000 members (roughly one police per thousand citizens compared to NY for example)are rather indicative of a country where government building can be achieved and would be if vision were present and international manipulation absent. Forget about the pervasiveness allegation. Let's rather try to reinforce real democracy, the partcipative one, in Haiti and all over the world, including the United States.