16672: Durban op-ed piece: Haitian Policemen in Iraq (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Lance Durban <lpdurban@yahoo.com>


Elected the same year in controversial elections, the Bush and
Aristide administrations would seem to share little in common
other than facing disorganized political oppositions.  Yet both
men seem consumed by a peculiar pride, which works to their
mutual disadvantage.

                  --The Politics of Pride--

Having rashly initiated a war in Iraq with the conspicuous
absence of support from key allies, Bush and company simply
cannot bring themselves to yield authority to the U.N. for the
postwar reconstruction effort.  With only Britain providing much
support, the U.S. is left with an awesome responsibility in
nation-building, something Bush adamantly opposed prior to 9/11.
 Although the Americans seem trapped in a massive, dangerous,
and costly mission, if successful, it could dramatically and
positively change the Middle East political landscape for
generations to come.

In Haiti, President Aristide has managed to antagonize a lot of
former allies to say nothing of political opponents, while the
Haitian economy has continued to falter.  Pride notwithstanding,
the degree of desperation is hinted at by the dogged pursuit of
international loans, in the hope that easy money will prime the
pump of economic development.

For a Haitian administration that delights in upsetting the
super-powers (seriously now, $21 billion in reparations from
France?), swallowing IDB requirements to break free the loan
monies must be bitter medicine.  The often-described "poorest
country in the western hemisphere" needs nothing more than to
build its self-esteem, yet kowtowing for those necessary
international loans does exactly the opposite.  It's belittling,
and makes Haiti's leaders less likely to listen to good advice
offered by those outside the Lavalas circle.

Pride, that potent yet frequently under-estimated fact of
political life.  To move the ball forward, we need to get on the
right side of this thing called national pride.

                    --The Offer--

I premise what follows on the assumption that warmer bilateral
relations with its largest trading partner, can only help Haiti.
 The question is, how do we get there?  After a public slap from
departing U.S. Ambassador Curran, how can Haiti react and not
appear subservient?

President Bush's present dilemma offers an intriguing
possibility.  How about a call from President Aristide to U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell offering a contingent of trained
Haitian policemen to serve as peacekeepers in Iraq?  Difficult
with a national police force of barely 4000 men, yet Haiti has
an abundance of trainable young men to fill the void.  The U.S.
is badly seeking allies as well as troops, and this generous
offer might just be snapped up.

No guarantee on that however, because with his constant verbal
swagger President Bush has shown that he has a Texas-sized level
of pride himself.  Properly presented, however, the idea just
might fly.  In all likelihood most of the out-of-pocket costs
would be borne by the U.S., so it is appropriate that the
Americans be invited to supply Creole-speaking non-commissioned
and commissioned officers from the ranks of the U.S. military.
In other words, the small Haitian Brigade could reasonably be
expected to fall under U.S. command while in Iraq, without the
loss of face which so bothers superpowers France and Germany.

In staffing up his Haitian Brigade, President Aristide might
consider some of his, shall we say, over-zealous supporters.
These are the folks who have shown themselves willing to do
virtually anything to support their man.  It's may be hard to
rein in such violent enthusiasm, but channeling it in a
patriotic undertaking might be an attractive option.  Twelve
months in Iraq for some of the more violent-prone of his
supporters would increase the probability that a successful
election in Haiti might actually be organized in their absence.
We assume here that Lavalas is sincere in its call for free and
fair elections to fill vacant seats in the Haitian government.

Contributing manpower to the largely American police force now
trying to rebuild Iraq would do a lot for Haitian pride.  The
gesture would also do a lot to thaw bilateral relations,
strained by the one-sided nature of the relationship, where
America is always the donor and Haiti always the recipient.

While Haiti contributing to a peace-keeping effort far from home
might seem strange, it should be recalled that less than ten
years ago, Pakistan and Bangladesh contributed troops to the
peace-keeping effort which helped bring President Aristide back
to Haiti.  As a member of the world community of democracies,
perhaps the time has come for Haiti to give something back.


Lance Durban