23998: Girard (new book) Clinton in Haiti

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: philippe girard <pg245091@hotmail.com>



Subject: New book on Aristide / 1994 US invasion of Haiti

Dear fellow Corbeteers,

I wanted to inform you that my book Clinton in Haiti: The 1994 US Invasion of Haiti just came out (Palgrave-MacMillan:
December 2004). The first half of the book covers the 1991-1994 period and explains why Clinton decided to restore
Aristide to power. The second half covers the US / UN occupation itself, ending with Aristide's second inauguration in
February 2001 and the departure of the last UN troops. The book argues that the idealistic rhetoric Clinton used to
justify the invasion only played a limited role in his decision to intervene. Instead, political goals were paramount.
Restoring U.S. and presidential credibility, stopping the flow of Haitian refugees, securing the political support of
the Congressional Black Caucus, and responding to demands by Jean-Bertrand Aristide were the decisive factors that
compelled Clinton to invade Haiti.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Here are some of the book's main points:

§         Despite public claims to the contrary, President Aristide actively lobbied for a U.S. invasion of his own
country, making use of a $53 million Haitian government fund and of financial contributions from the Taiwanese
government. Using well-paid lobbyists such as Michael Barnes, he gained unparalleled access to Clinton administration
insiders [Chapter 8].

§         Clinton’s political advisers informed him that invading Haiti could be politically rewarding domestically.
It would help portray him as a strong, forceful president, thus erasing his image as a vacillating Commander-in-Chief
with limited taste for, and expertise in, diplomatic-military affairs [Chapter 7].

§         According to internal U.S. documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the U.S. government
decided not to prosecute Emmanuel Constant, one of the Cédras regime’s most noted human rights abusers, for fear that
he would reveal his past contacts with the CIA. This contradicts the administration’s claim that its overarching goal
was to stop human rights abuses in Haiti [Chapter 11].

Those interested in purchasing the book can go to
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=Wl5zPHgAh7&isbn=1403967164&itm=1.



______________________________________________________
Philippe R. Girard
Assistant Professor of History, McNeese State University

Lake Charles, LA 70609
Kaufman 122H
Work phone: (337) 475-5198
Work e-mail: girard@mail.mcneese.edu