19155: Esser: The only hope in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

The Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com

GLOBE EDITORIAL

The only hope in Haiti

2/25/2004

THE CHALLENGE for the United States and other countries interested in
helping Haiti through its current crisis is made all the greater by
the fact that the opposition to President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is
far from united. The political opposition to Aristide in the capital,
Port-au-Prince, should not be confused with the armed militant groups
that have been seizing control of cities outside the capital and
demanding Aristide's resignation.

A takeover by the latter of the capital could plunge Haiti into the
violence of the early 1990s, which drove thousands of Haitians to
emigrate. To avoid that, the United States should seek UN Security
Council approval for international peacekeepers. Washington should
also end its embargo on aid to Haiti, which has contributed to
Aristide's failure to address the nation's poverty, the worst in the
hemisphere.

Secretary of State Colin Powell is right to state that the United
States does not favor regime change. However flawed Aristide's
leadership has been, he was elected, and there is no readily apparent
alternative to him. A US-backed compromise calls on him to share
power with political opponents and organize new, fair elections. So
far, opposition leaders have rejected this accord because it does not
include Aristide's resignation.

The armed groups in opposition include former members of unofficial
militias that Aristide organized who have now turned against him.
They also include onetime members of the forces that overthrew
Aristide in a coup in 1991 and initiated a reign of terror. In 1994
the United States intervened with 20,000 troops and reinstated
Aristide but did not stay long enough to ensure that he build
coalitions with political opponents and create strong civic
institutions.

Aristide's political opponents say he manipulated elections in 2000
and has governed since in a corrupt and bullying manner. But they
will be in a position to wield political power only if they agree to
the US plan and show their strength in new elections.

There is reluctance on the part of the Bush administration to
intervene again militarily beyond the 50 Marines sent Monday to
protect the US Embassy. But an intervention by US or international
forces should not be excluded if anarchy is the alternative. Anarchy
is a real possibility, in part because Aristide disbanded the Haitian
Army in the 1990s and placed responsibility for public order in a
thoroughly understaffed and poorly trained force of fewer than 5,000
police officers.

The danger if rebel forces move on Port-au-Prince is that they will
be met by armed gangs that are still loyal to Aristide and his
political party. Such a conflict could lead to a bloodbath. The best
hope for heading this off is a US-brokered agreement that all sides
can support.

© Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.
.