20567: Esser: Thwarting the Democratic Will of Haitians (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. E s s e r <torx@joimail.com>

Dissident Voice
http://www.dissidentvoice.org

March 18, 2004

Thwarting the Democratic Will of Haitians
by Kim Petersen

It is difficult at the best of times to fathom the hubris of the
George W Bush administration. Back in April of 2002 Bush and his
cabal had engineered a coup in Venezuela and the president Hugo
Chávez was arrested. Elite figures quickly seized power, moved to
suspend the constitution and stack the courts and other government
bodies with corporate-friendly types. But after three days the coup
crumbled. Why? Because people took to the streets in support of their
president and the military fell in with the people. As reported by
Associated Press: “Never before in modern times has an elected
president been overthrown by military commanders, his successor
inaugurated, and then the ousted leader returned to power on the
wings of a popular uprising.”

Now the Bush cabal has attempted a second shot at deposing a
Caribbean regime. The neoconservatives even went so far as to claim
that Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide had resigned and left
the country overnight -- identical to the pronouncements made when
Chávez was temporarily ousted. Have they learned anything? Yes, this
time they allegedly “kidnapped” and indeed did dispatch the
out-of-US-favor leader to a relatively remote corner of Africa.

But what could they be thinking? Washington’s CIA goons had received
a humiliating blow from democracy in Venezuela. The progressive
backlash is still fresh from Bolivia. There is a resurgent Left
throughout Latin America. And now former colonizer Spain has shirked
itself of the Bush Manicheans. The neoconservatives have in essence
failed to learn this lesson from the failed attempt at
undemocratizing Venezuela. Bush has in fact given Haiti a chance to
deliver a democracy-delivered knockout punch. The pieces are falling
in place for democracy to rise up again and give Bush another shot to
the head in Haiti.

 t his first news conference in the Central African Republic capital
of Bangui, the deposed Aristide defiantly declared to the assembled
media. “I am the democratically elected president and I remain so.”

He advocated something that the Washington neoconservatives oppose.
Said Aristide, “I plead for the restoration of democracy in Haiti.”

The neoconservatives and corporate oil interests were greatly
perturbed by the failure of their coup d’êtat on 12 April 2002 in
Venezuela. Yet they seem strangely emboldened by their high-stakes
gambit in Haiti. Chávez warns again of ongoing US machinations to
overthrow his democratically elected and restored government. Given
the abundant evidence of US money being channeled to opponents of the
Bolivarian revolution by the Orwellian-titled National Endowment for
Democracy and suspicious US military movements during the April coup,
Chávez’ alert has credibility.

US States Department official Richard Boucher’s Freudian slip in
response to a query about money being directed to Chávez’ political
foes was revealing: “ As far as the facts of the matter, we have
spoken many times about our assistance in Haiti -- excuse me -- our
assistance to democracy in Venezuela.”

The corporate media’s complicity in the coup engineering is palpable.
Back in April 2002 the New York Times described Chávez as a “populist
demagogue, the authoritarian man” and a “dictator.” Despite the
exposed prevarications of the Bush regime’s officials, the corporate
media continues to proffer administration statements and denials as
gospel. Already the US falsehood that South Africa had rejected an
asylum appeal by President Aristide has been denied by South Africa. 
Aristide is described as “bitter” by the Times although as journalist
Al Giordano points out “The Times didn’t, in fact, talk to Aristide,
or see him, or have any reporters find out if he is “bitter” or not.
Someone high up enough to determine what headlines say just made it
up: he decided to preempt and poison anything Aristide might say in a
story where they had to report his accusations of coup and kidnap.”

There is a growing defiance of Empire led by Bush. Empire is
vulnerable. Insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to resist
US-led occupation. Bush’s Iraqi coalition is unraveling: member Spain
is now unwilling and Honduras will not be extending its participation.

The Democratic Party contender for the presidency John Kerry saw a
political opening and spoke cautiously against the Haitian coup.
Kerry said, “I think it’s a terrible message to the region,
democracies, and it’s shortsighted.”

Jamaica has defied the US administration and has welcomed Aristide
back into the Caribbean. Haiti’s interim prime minister Gerard
Latortue in a pique of exasperation suspended relations with Jamaica
-- an ill thought-out measure in that it is likelier to adversely
impact on Haiti. Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, Chairman of
the Caribbean Community and Common Market, is calling for an
international investigation into the circumstances surrounding
Aristide’s unceremonious sendoff from Haiti.

Meanwhile Venezuela has extended an offer of asylum to Aristide.

The US has, however, drawn sometimes-recalcitrant nations France and
nervous Canada back into an imperial alliance. Canada’s foreign
minister Bob Graham is openly concerned about Aristide’s
re-appearance in the hemisphere.

“We need a new climate of political co-operation, and therefore we
certainly would urge the government of Jamaica . . . we certainly
would urge Mr. Aristide -- who did resign -- to remain outside the
Haitian political situation so we can get a new stability and a fresh
start.”

The current Canadian government is wracked by scandals and in its
deep integration approach to the US; Haiti could well deep six the
ruling party’s reign.

There is cause for Graham's concern. Reports emerged early on from
Haiti of protestors denouncing the “foreign occupation” of their
country.

Aristide knows well how Chávez was restored to power; it was by the
democratic expression of people power. In a radio broadcast Aristide
recognized people power: “The Haitian people resist and must continue
to finalize a peaceful resistance to face down this unacceptable
occupation that follows this political kidnapping.”

Meanwhile nations that trumpet themselves as pillars of democracy are
supporting a military overthrow of a president twice-elected by
overwhelming popular mandate. Something is patently wrong here.
Instead of barring Aristide from coming back, at the very least the
US, France, and Canada should be encouraging a democratic solution to
the standoff. The Haitian people have the democratic right to
determine their own leaders. The US, France, and Canada are thwarting
democracy.

Hypotheticals are playing out. If the propinquity of Aristide can
spur a peaceful outpouring of people power, the Haitian people could
possibly reclaim their democracy in a similar manner to the
Venezuelans.

It would deliver a lesson-learned-too-late to Bush, Jacques Chirac in
France, and Paul Martin in Canada: You cannot prevent and prepare for
democracy at the same time.

Kim Petersen is a writer living in Nova Scotia, Canada. He can be
reached at: kimpetersen@gyxi.dk.
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