As a result of the political course he chose, Aristide, although swept into office by a mass movement for justice and democratic change, "came to resemble the opportunist politician who has defined much of the country's history." His legacy is likely to amount to little more than the unfulfilled hopes of the Haitian people and numerous obstacles to progress, including Haiti's traditional political culture, more firmly in place than ever.
 

When kind of crap journalism is this!? Quote verbatim what one talking-head says, then don't give anyone else time/room to give their view.

Maybe this ought to be on the 'Opinion' page, but it is NOT news journalism.

SHAME 

Annis is hack who writes for the 'Socialist Voice: Marxist Perspectives for the 21st Century'

Is this guy really a reliable source of astute political analysis?

http://www.socialistvoice.ca

What crap! 

Read the book Damming The Flood by Pater Halward if you don't believe Annis. "Shoot the messenger" but that doesn't change the truth of the message. Aristide's government was elected and overwhelmingly popular. Canada helped overthrow it. That is reality.  

The view that Aristide is just part of a long line of corrupt Haitian leaders is popular among academics (e.g., Yasmine Shamsie) trying to whitewash their support for the 2004 coup. Haitians rally for Aristide's return all the time; when was the last rally for the return of Baby Doc Duvalier, Latortue, or even in support of Preval? 

check the facts...and you'll see Annis is write, however troubling those facts might be. 

First attack the style of journalism and then attack the messenger, but never provide an alternative view that Annis presents in the Burrows article. I wonder why?

Annis raises a point when he asks us to look at why there was no plan in place, no central or local government plan to deal with emergencies even though the country had already been hit by four hurricanes in a row in 2008 and has a history of natural disasters brought on by deforestation.

All major cities in Haiti in 2008 were under water, resembling New Orleans after Katrina hit. In Haiti, foundations of buildings soaked in water for days, houses were damp with moisture...does this not weaken buildings already susceptible to tropical humidity?

Earthquakes had hit Haiti before yet no emergency plan for the worst case scenario. Does this not beg the question...just who is in charge of Haiti these days?

Or better yet, who wants to be and why?

 

I will take a socialist's perspective on Haiti over CNN and CanWest Global any time... The Canadian government was offered a chance to comment but they failed to return calls. Just like they have failed Haiti -- a country which they have systematically undermined through military and economic policy.

I am really glad to see this article and would encourage people to donate to urgently needed relief efforts. One excellent group is Partners In Health, their website is http://standwithhaiti.org/. 

I think it is fitting that neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives wanted to answer questions about Canada's role in the 2004 coup in etat. This attack on the country fragile democracy has clearly contributed to the staggering death toll, and lack of emergency relief. Since there is, you know, essentially no Haitian public sector at all since the coup and after 6 years of military occupation. Since this happened on the Liberals watch, there should be a war crimes investigation against Paul Martin, Bill Graham, Pierre Pettigrew and company. And maybe even a civil suit by Haitian-Canadians.  

You have to be careful when contributing to Haiti relief because there is so much control between he giver and the recipients. From the record, the Cuban medical assistance can be relied upon. It was denied in New Orleans but some of it got through to Haiti before the U.S. put the barriers up. The disaster is made worse all the time by military forces clamping down on a nation already suffering from death, grief and starvation, not to mention disease. I don't know what chance Haiti has, because they are kept in a constant state of disorganisation. Yet Haitians keep struggling against the oppression. That has to be an inspiration for us all. 

Haiti represents the security dilemma of our times. The country's leaders have repeatedly failed to provide even the most basic services for their citizens and human lives have been lost as a result. Still, the US, Canadian and European responses have also been flawed, but is not the only cause and/or solution to Haiti's problems. 2 Centuries of bad leadership cannot be blamed entirely on colonialism, and neo-liberalism. Moreover, Aristide was hardly the harbinger of peace and development that some people have built him up to be. Remeber the tens of thousands of "boat people" who fled the poverty, human rights abuses (chimeres anyone) and political respression? Both Haitian and international governments need to accept responsibility for Haiti's condition. 

"The boat people" left after the 1991 coup which overthrew Aristide's first government. He was elected with 67% of the vote -- 50 percentage points ahead of his nearest competitor.
That's democracy. For a nuanced and meticulous history of Haiti over the past 20 years I would echo the recommendation of Damming The Flood by Peter Hallward. It's simply the best history of the Aristide period out there. And it details the way Canada helped the US and France destroy democracy in Haiti with the 2004 coup.  

The coup of 2004 in Haiti was but one more stage in a long and tortured history of foreign interference and intervention that has made Haiti what it is today. The largest single cause of death from the recent earthquake is the agricultural export policies of the wealthy countries of the world that have stripped Haiti of its capacity to feed itself by imposing subsidized food imports as well as agricultural techniques unsuitable to Haiti. Millions of people of the countryside have become economic refugees in their own homeland and moved into cities that have neither the room to fit them nor infrastructure to look after them. And there they were when the earthquake struck, many living or working in concrete structures built with no building codes to speak of.

Probably the second largest cause of loss of life has been the two coups d'etat that overthrew elected government and the country’s elected president, Jean Bertrand Aristide--in 1991 and 2004. Both coups were supported, if not orchestrated, by the United States. The second coup was backed with soldiers from the U.S., France (the former slave power) and Canada. It is impossible to make progress in a country under such conditions of "political instability," to use a hackneyed and misleading phrase.

At the best of times, half of Haiti's children do not attend school, most of the population has no access to health services, potable water, electricity and jobs. And this has gone on year after year after decade...and just a one hour flight away from Miami.

Please read this eyewitness account (excerts only) below of the neglect that the people are enduring even during this monumental catastrophe as the U.S. turns a humanitarian catastrophe into an opportunity to militarize Haiti. How many people have died as a result of the scandalously slow arrival of aid and the turning away of medical and other emergency flights from the Port au Prince airport to make way for military aircraft and disembarking soldiers?

The account is written from the center of Port au Prince and published in the New Brunswick Media Co-Op. The writer mentions "Partners in Health." To which I say: Empty your pockets and wallets in donations to Partners in Health! Read their website--what an incredible organization this is.--RA

Haiti after the earthquake
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Meaghan Balzer

It is very difficult to describe what is happening in Haiti right now. The earthquake of January 12th has turned the city into a pile of rubble, affecting every Haitian in the most devastating of ways. As the stories of lost family, friends, and co-workers unbury themselves, no one has time to mourn their loss before another story is revealed.

Throughout the first three days after the earthquake, all that could be heard was screaming as loved ones were found under rubble; the nights were filled with people singing songs of healing. Now, the days are silent, and the sound of gunshots echo throughout the night. They began
as warnings to potential thieves, but have turned into acts of violence, as desperation rises.

Today is day seven. The major question circulating through my mind is "where is the aid?". Two days ago was the first time that any aid was evident. Prior to that, three doctors, five other teachers, and myself were the only ones providing triage treatment to hundreds, if not thousands, of patients at the largest hospital in Port-au-Prince; L'Hí´pital général. Amputations were being carried out outside on the ground, as the aftershocks continued to threaten the stability of the
hospital. All patients were without antibiotics, painkillers, or
anesthetic. Bulldozers drove past us, scooping up corpses, and dumped them into dump trucks to be disposed of without identification or proper burial...
 

What was the last turn out for a Haitian election?

"The highest figure for the turnout in the April election and June runoff combined was given by the UN who placed it at 11% . Many independent observers noted voter turnout well below that number throughout Haiti's ten departments."
http://www.haitiaction.net/News/HIP/11_26_9/11_26_9.html

Even Saddam Hussein did better. And why was voter turn out so low? Because Aristide's party, the most popular in Haiti. was prevented from running.

Canada and the USA overthrew a democratically elected government and now support a corrupt government without any popular support but does what its told and allows the rape of its own people to continue.

That is a shame and what's pathetically shameful is the people who would defend that while attacking those who bring it to light. 

This disaster has seriously raised my awareness level of what's going on in this country. Let's hope these people get the leadership they need to change things. I can only observe though that the current situation doesn't look hopeful...