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U.S. involvement in Haiti unethical
In a Congressional hearing March 3, Asst. Sec. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger Noriega admitted that immediately prior to his departure, Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was told the United States would not provide him with protection from rebel forces publicly threatening his execution. A small group of, in the words of ex-ambassador Richard Holbrook, “murderers, drug-lords and criminals,” use violence to influence Haitian politics and we send in troops after the democratically elected president has left the country in fear for his life. This is outrageous. Representative Charles Rangel, of the Congressional black caucus, repeatedly asked Noriega if Aristide’s safe passage was contingent upon his resignation. He didn’t answer. He tried to make explanations, but he couldn’t say no. He said “no” when asked if he knew about the immorality of the opposition leaders. According to “Democracy Now!” this “leadership” includes those who overthrew Aristide in 1991. Some have been convicted of appalling human rights violations and some received funding from U.S. intelligence agents while trafficking drugs to the U.S. (“Counterpunch” March 1) Noriega’s job is to know about these things. Noriega was chief of staff to Senator Jesse Helms who, as head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been one of Aristide’s most vociferous critics. The inhumanity of the opposition leaders is old news. Noriega is either lying, incompetent or both. Why send in troops to protect the new leadership empowered by a coup d’etat, but not the leader with 92 percent of the vote last election? Accusations of electoral abuses are made, but “…the sole disagreement is over run-off elections for seven senators… [who] eventually resigned...”(“Counterpunch” March 1) We refused Aristide’s requests for protection because he represents Haitian popular sovereignty. We pressured him to resign because he refused to sell out to the rich and powerful who want to continue their brutal exploitation. The White House asserts that the crisis “is largely of Mr. Aristide’s making… …his own actions have called into question his fitness to continue to govern.”(The New York Times) Not mentioned is the extent to which U.S. policy undermines Aristide’s authority, aids the terrorists and compounds the misery of the Haitian people. The courage and conviction Aristide displays in defending his people against U.S. hegemony is little match for the immorality and avarice of those who would crush him. According to “Democracy Now!” Dick Cheney cites a resignation letter (inaccurately translated from Creole to English) as proof that Aristide was not kidnapped. Even if he wrote the letter, it is meaningless because he was being threatened. Cheney says he’s glad to see the man go and claims that Aristide had “worn out his welcome with the Haitian people” and that he was “corrupt.” It’s disgusting for Cheney to point a filthy, bloody finger at someone else. Aristide’s rule has been far from perfect, but if democratic institutions matter, then elections are the way to remove a leader who has “worn out his welcome.” Of course, the terrorists and their French and American abettors don’t want an election. They know they would lose. They know bullets are stronger than ballots. As citizens of a democracy we are responsible for the actions of our government. We let these horrible things happen. If I focus less on myself, and more on my brothers and sisters can I make a difference? Can you? Can we ever wash the blood from our hands? I wonder and I weep. — This columnist can be reached at collegian@csufresno.edu |
