18430: (Craig) NYTimes.com Editorial: Haiti Erupts (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Dan Craig <hoosier@att.net>

Haiti Erupts
February 11, 2004

Haiti's long smoldering political crisis has exploded into
insurrection, with armed gangs driving the police out of
the country's fourth-largest city, Gona?ves, and at least
10 other towns. Some are now back in government hands, but
more than 40 people have been killed so far, and the
violence is far from over. Haiti's democratically elected
president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, helped bring this crisis
on himself, with his encouragement of mob violence,
politicization of the national police and failure to ensure
fair legislative elections. Yet many of the
insurrectionists are former Aristide allies with even
weaker democratic credentials.

Whoever ultimately prevails in this conflict, democracy and
the Haitian people are likely to be the big losers if it
unfolds along its present violent trajectory. Spreading
unrest could send tens of thousands of desperate refugees
fleeing to neighboring countries, including the United
States.

If this story is to have a happier ending, those nations
must act now, with Washington in the lead. The 14 other
countries of the Caribbean Community have commendably tried
to mediate. But they lack the authority and influence
needed to lead Haiti back from the brink. America alone has
that kind of prestige. It must take constructive action,
not just drop hints that Mr. Aristide should resign.

Nearly a decade ago, the Clinton administration's dispatch
of American troops helped persuade a murderous Haitian
military junta to step down, paving the way for Mr.
Aristide to complete his first presidential term, which had
been interrupted by a coup. Unfortunately, Washington's
involvement wound down before the kinds of steps that would
have deepened the roots of Haitian democracy - like
creating a professional police force and independent
electoral institutions - were completed. That kind of
unglamorous institution-building would most likely have
prevented the current insurrection and much of the
political crisis that preceded it.

Mr. Aristide's survival in office for the nearly two years
remaining in his presidential term may depend on his
willingness to accept an American-led police retraining
effort and international supervision of the next
parliamentary and presidential elections. Washington should
now be offering that kind of assistance and urging Mr.
Aristide to accept it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/11/opinion/11WED3.html?ex=1077499747&ei=1&en=d3ecf0c199ecc223
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company