9666: Foreign Policy Faux-pas (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Dr Allen <drallen@periogroup.com>

A Foreign Policy faux-pas.

    In the latest elections at the UN Security Council for non-permanent
members, our neighbor, The Dominican Republic was a candidate.  The
Dominicans were in competition with the Mexicans for the Latin American and
Caribbean slot.
    It is rumored that Aristide after giving private assurances that Haiti
would vote for the neighbor directed the Haitian delegation to vote for
Mexico, which it apparently did.
    The Dominicans are reportedly very unhappy because they felt that they
have been double-crossed by Aristide, who according to them, has not kept
his word (what else is new).
    The reality is that the Dominican Republic would have lost even with our
vote, because on the second balloting they lost 138 to 40. However, was it a
wise decision not to support the only nation with which we share the island
and one of our most important trading partners.
    Angering the Dominicans is not a smart policy, and I am sure the
Mexicans would understand that the principled gesture was for us to vote for
our neighbor.  Apparently the anger is not because of the vote itself, but
because Aristide changed his mind despite the assurances he gave the
Dominican ambassador.
      If this is true, our new ambassador to the DR, Guy Alexandre, who had
done an excellent job there during the embargo, will have a tough time
convincing the Dominicans that we are indeed a reliable partner.

    Joseph A. Allen DDS
    Miami, FL