Why the animosity of this government towards Haiti?

[Skidmore]

I don't understand it.

[CottonBear]

1. Something to do with protecting rich RW people in the Dominican Republic.

That's all I can figure.



edit: All of those uppity poor black folks are located really close to Cuba. Lord knows, we wouldn't want Cuba to provide aid to Haiti.

[Richard Steele]

2. I don't either. I can only guess...

...that Haiti is the base they use for some sort of nefarious skullduggery,
and having an HONEST government in power there
would somehow threaten their interests.

Whatever the reason, it's pretty obvious that Haiti
is VERY important to them. Much more so than
other, similar nations.

[CottonBear]

4. When Baby Doc went into exile, Haiti was ripe for a US backed takeover.

:(

[TomInTib]

3. Before Cuba, there was Haiti..

and then those uppity coloreds rose up and tossed out our Chosen leaders.

Well, we didn't like that and blockaded their sugar shipments and so forth and turned Haiti into the most impoverished coutry in the Western Hemisphere.

Go back to Bush1 and poppy's orgasmic fawning over "Father" Aristede.

We just keep 'em so dizzy they will never be able to stand upright again.

[tocqueville]

5. maybe they are for once uncorrupted nt ?

René Garcia Préval (born January 17, 1943 in Port-au-Prince) is currently President-elect of Haiti. He previously served as president from February 7, 1996 to February 7, 2001.

Préval holds a degree in agronomy from the College of Gembloux in Belgium. He was forced to leave Haiti with his family in 1963 after being targeted by the then-dictator, François Duvalier aka "Papa Doc".

Préval's father, an agronomist too, had risen to the position of Minister of Agriculture before the arrival of Duvalier. Exiled from Haiti because his political past presented him as an opposant, he found work with UN agencies in Africa, more specifically in Belgian Congo, where he raised his family.

As president Préval instituted a number of economic reforms, most notably the privatization of various government companies. Some have suggested that these privatizations were a result of Préval bowing to the pressure exerted on him by external entities including the IMF. The unemployment rate (though still quite high) had fallen to its lowest level since the fall of Duvalier by the end of Préval's term. This trend toward a decreasing unemployment rate continued during the subsequent tenure of Aristide until the 2004 coup.

As president, Préval was a strong supporter of investigations and trials related to human rights violations committed by military and police personnel.

Préval ran again in as an independent candidate in the Haitian presidential election of 2006. Partial election results, released on February 9, indicated that he had won with about sixty percent of the vote, but as further results were released, his share of the vote slipped to 48.7% – thus making a run-off necessary. Several days of population demonstrations in favour of Préval followed in Port-au-Prince and other cities in Haiti. On February 14, Préval claimed that there had been fraud among the vote counts, and demanded that he be declared the winner outright of the first round. On February 16, 2006, Préval was declared the winner of the Presidential Election by the Provisional Electoral Council with 51.15 percent of the vote, after the exclusion of "blank" ballots from the count.

Préval draws much of his support from Haiti's poorest people; he is especially widely supported in the poorest neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince.<1>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Pr%C3%A9val

[tatertop]

6. Among other things, the repugs see Haiti as one big sweat shop

They will do anything to keep their iron grip.

[peacetalksforall]

13. Sweat shop. Sex shop. Drug storing, transferring, and ingestng

Gambling. Off shore banking. Off shore registration of corporations to avoid legal limitations, lawsuits (a law run-around). Take everything that the Mafia liked about Cuba. Take every thing DeLay and Abrahoff liked about the Marianas. Take all the far-away banking islands and countries and everything that has been done and bring it closer. Then, combine it with the oil that is off shore. Finally, they may have found a new profitable use for bauxite?

Remember, France and Canada are in on it.

[oneighty]

7. A quick look at Haitian history

suggests to me a racial/christian undertone.

Voodoo/Black Republic of Haiti.

US did invade in 1915 stayed for nineteen years.

But you are justified in your curiosity. Why?

180

[punpirate]

8. Part of it is fear...

... of democratic socialism, and that fear is fostered by those making money from exceptionally cheap labor. The minimum wage in Haiti is something around seventy-five cents a day, and that's up from what it was recently. The Tonton Macoutes were an outgrowth of the private security forces of wealthy landowners, and that should pretty much say it all about the nature of politics in Haiti--exploitation of the poor is the norm. Anybody who comes along saying they're going to change that is a threat.

[SCantiGOP]

9. two no-brainer reasons

Poor.

and, Black.

[Bridget Burke]

10. Since its birth, many governments have had animosity toward Haiti.

The Haitian revolution was the second one in the New World.

After prolonged fighting Haiti became an independent republic in 1804. This is the only known successful slave rebellion in human history. Haiti defeated Napoleon's expeditionary force of nearly 50,000 men, The British Army, The Spanish Army, and the Dutch Army.

Internally, Haiti in 1804 was run by illiterate former slaves. European and US governments perceived a threat to the institution of slavery. Yet, experienced Haitian Armies fought alongside American forces in 4 battles of the American Revolutionary Wars starting with Savannah Georgia in 1781, Saratoga and Sarasota Florida, and Yorktown Virginia.

Illiterate former slaves found little support in establishing a stable society and effective government. Haiti has always been one of the poorest and ill-governed countries in the Americas. Through the 19th century it was ruled by a series of dictators of varying degrees of incompetence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiti

In 1838, France recognizes Haitian independence in exchange for a financial indemnity of 150 million francs. Most nations including the United States shunned Haiti for almost forty years, fearful that its example could stir unrest there and in other slaveholding countries. Over the next few decades Haiti is forced to take out loans of 70 million francs to repay the indemnity and gain international recognition.

www.haiti.org/keydate.htm

Basically, Haiti offended the "civilized" world by its very existence. Woodrow Wilson ordered an invasion in 1915, with Haiti's debts as an excuse. The US has interfered with Haiti several times, as have other countries.

The fact that Haiti exists at all & has a rich culture is a tribute to the Haitian people.

[CottonBear]

11. Very interesting Z Net interview/article about Haiti and its history:

The Haitian Revolution and Black History
by Patrick Elie
and Aaron Lakoff and Leslie Bagg
February 05, 2006

CKUT Printer Friendly Version
EMail Article to a Friend
Patrick Elie is a long-time poltical and human rights activist in Haiti. While he is a chemist by trade, he is also someone who is passionate about his people and their history.
We spoke with Patrick Elie in Port au Prince about Haiti's history and the slave revolt in the context of Black History Month. Elie asserts that the Haitian revolution was not only a momentous event for Haitians, but for people all over the world in demonstrating that freedom, not slavery, was the natural state of humankind.

Elie elloquently makes the links between Haiti's distant past, and the current political situation, as imperialist forces are once again meddling in the country's affairs. Just like in 1791, Haitians are today embroiled in a struggle against racist imperialism and colonization. The characters and terms have changed, but the game largely remains the same.

Interviewed by Aaron Lakoff and Leslie Bagg

-->To download the audio version of this interview, visit:
http://www.radio4all.net/proginfo.php?id=16412

Q: Haiti's history is all too often ignored in terms of its importance and significance. Can you talk about this history and what it means to you as a Haitian person today?

A: You're right to point out that Haiti's history was a momentous event, and an event that has significance, not only for black people, but for all of humanity. When the slaves revolted on mass in 1791, and after a long struggle against the French army, were able to proclaim Haiti's independence and the end of slavery, it was the first time that a whole people extended the notion of freedom to everybody. Not only that, they also demonstrated that slavery is the unnatural state, and freedom is the natural state of man.

Besides, it was not only an anti-slavery struggle. It was also a struggle for self-determination against colonialism and imperialism. I always say that the Haitians went beyond what, for example, the Marxists envisioned that the proletariat, by freeing itself, would free everybody. It was not the proletariat this time – it was even lower. It was the slaves, who were considered as chattel. The chattel actually stood up and demonstrated their humanity and thus freed everybody. In that sense, the whole world has a debt towards Haiti and the Haitian revolution.

Very few people realize what it took for people who were slaves, kept ignorant, and 60% of whom at the time of the uprising had been born in Africa. They knew of this country here only as a kind of concentration camp. It was a foreign and hostile land to them. I always say that it is something that is almost beyond comprehension that such an incredible feat could have been achieved. For those who are so often very harsh towards Haiti and the Haitian people, saying, “how come after 200 years after independence Haiti is still poor?”. I say without even going to the hostility that the dominant powers at the time (France, Great Britain, the USA) exerted against the new republic, all those colonies who had slaves were horrified by the Haitian revolution, and they wanted to contain it as much as possible. Don't forget that in Haiti, the slaves liberated themselves in 1794. In the USA, it wasn't until 1865. In the French colonies it wasn't until 1848. In Cuba and Brazil, it was even later. So the Haitians were at least 50 years in advance of the so-called “enlightened” countries of Europe.

Also, one has to realize that the Haitians started from zero. It's not the same as the other colonies like Canada or the USA where the Europeans who came to dominate these countries simply cut the ties with the mother country. They came in with all the advances and political structures. Haitians had to invent or try to reinvent from zero. So, truly, for Haitians this is the 3rd century, not the 21st, because we had to start from scratch. I think although nobody could be satisfied with the state of Haiti today, one should never forget it's only been 200 years.

more...
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=55&ItemID=9669

[Talismom]

12. They have always looked like easy pickins to empire builders

and then fought like hell to be free. They are resented for the "bad example" they set to other ideal slave colonies--much as Cuba and Venezuela are looked at. "How dare you expect the great US to treat you as an equal!" The Haitian american community where I used to live in CT worked with a group I belonged to in a voter registration drive about a dozen years ago. I have never met such a warm,intelligent, hard-working and tight-knit group of people. They really inspired my husband's and my admiration! They way this country treats Haiti is truly criminal!