The Return of Duvalier: Haiti's Denouement?

[EFerrari]

January 20, 2011

The Return of Duvalier: Haiti's Denouement?

By Georgianne Nienaber

The story of the unexpected and shocking return of former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier on Sunday, and the spectacle of his questioning by Haitian authorities on Tuesday, has as many subplots as a Greek drama. Unfortunately for Haiti, there will be no deus ex machina--no god of truth to shed light on the reasons why Duvalier picked this moment, 25 years after he was exiled in disgrace to France, to resurrect his corrupt legacy.

There will be no divine or earthly intervention of a human "god in the machine" to resolve this twisted narrative. Speculation, rumor, the fog of "diplomacy," and obfuscation on the part of international players are nothing more than contrivances, and no one can craft the ending of this drama except for the collective will of the Haitian people--if they are given the opportunity to do so.

"Baby Doc" Duvalier, now 59, led a brutal dictatorship from 1971 to 1986, when the United States supported his ouster and offered a military escort to exile. Murder, torture, looting, and the strangulation of Haitian free enterprise by the elite are part of his history, which many in Haiti are too young to remember since the median age is just over 20 years, according to 2009 demographics.

The Tonton Macoutes, a paramilitary organization created by Duvalier's father, President François "Papa Doc' Duvalier, used terror and murder to control societal dissidents. That legacy has been forgotten or relegated to the dustbin of "history," although some Haitians will tell you the Tonton Macoutes are still in Haiti--now, they are simply called "gangs."

http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Return-of-Duvalier-Ha-by-Georgianne-Nienabe-110120-137.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Thanks for this good article. I'm just past the first page. It seems very worthwhile. Rec. n/t

[EFerrari]

2. Found this writer via twitter yesterday.

She does a good job of considering all or most of the pieces of this puzzle, imo.

[dipsydoodle]

3. I had wondered

if the Tonton Macoutes might be the origin of the gangs.