Sunday, February 29th, 2004

OK this is way old (by net standards) but it’s still great: Mimi Nguyen on the movie, “Afro-Punk”.

posted by @ 6:05 pm | 0 Comments

Sunday, February 29th, 2004

The question likely to be asked this week: did Aristide jump or was he pushed? Either way, this is not a great day for democracy or the rule of law or whatever the current euphemism of choice is. Packer’s essay below seems more relevant than ever.

The latest on the crisis from CNN and Reuters.

Plus reactions in Miami’s Little Haiti and Jamaica, and this piece by Jim Defede in the Miami Herald.

posted by @ 11:13 am | 0 Comments

Saturday, February 28th, 2004

Will Tacy of Mother Jones Online on George Packer and Haiti’s lessons for Iraq.

posted by @ 6:01 pm | 0 Comments

Saturday, February 28th, 2004

THEY CAUGHT BIN-LADEN

Oops, no they didn’t. Yes, they will. (Thanks to the extra prolific Different Kitchen.)

posted by @ 9:08 am | 0 Comments

Saturday, February 28th, 2004

Jay-Smooth on Debra Dickerson.

posted by @ 9:01 am | 0 Comments

Saturday, February 28th, 2004

The deepening Haitian refugee crisis.

posted by @ 8:52 am | 0 Comments

Saturday, February 28th, 2004

More on the less-than-savory backgrounds of the Haitian “rebels”.

posted by @ 8:51 am | 0 Comments

Saturday, February 28th, 2004

In the NY Times:“The Culture Wars, Part II”.

posted by @ 8:50 am | 0 Comments

Friday, February 27th, 2004

Democracy Now is reporting that the U.S. military is now flying helicopters over Port-Au-Prince, amidst growing evidence that the U.S. may be actively supporting a coup. They are also reporting that Venezuela has offered support for the Aristide forces. Elsewhere, reports have the Bush distancing himself from Aristide, as looting and thuggery spreads. I’m also reminded that the leaders of the rebels were trained by the U.S. military. Like Colonel Abrams once said, how soon we all forget…

posted by @ 3:32 pm | 0 Comments

Friday, February 27th, 2004

ON HAITI, ARISTIDE, AND ELECTIONS

The best coverage on Haiti over the last 48 hours has far and away been on Pacifica Radio’s Democracy Now and Davey D and Weyland Southon’s Hard Knock Radio.

I don’t share the same love for Aristide that the good folks at Democracy Now and Hard Knock do. This is not the same leftist hero swept into office by the people in 1990 and was toppled by a rightist military coup. There are many Haitian pro-democracy activists not repped on either show who have become disillusioned with Aristide over his suppression of free speech and his lack of commitment to improving human rights.

Aristide has continuously squelched student protest and his Lavalas thugs are believed responsible for the death of pioneering journalist Jean Dominique. These are facts that don’t fit a conception of Aristide as a Haitian black Moses, an image that most Haitians long ago rejected.

But progressives are absolutely correct to point out what we all conveniently forget: the U.S.’s active neo-colonial role in fostering destabilization in Haiti.

Haiti would not be now standing on the verge of another military coup without a devastating 11-year embargo and an explicit position on Haiti that it’s OK to overturn democratic elections (even contested ones) if the winner is not a rightist. Anyone remember Florida?

Bottom line is that Aristide needs to go, not by violent coup, but by democratic elections.

If the U.S. was serious about maintaining democracy in Haiti–which it manifestly is not–it would not be starving one of the poorest countries in the world while tsk-tsking it on human rights and slamming the doors to the country’s refugees. It would not be arming the paramilitary opposition, it would be encouraging the development of peaceful, democratic opposition.

As long as the U.S. maintains a hypocritical stance towards Haiti, the first black independent republic in our hemisphere, we will continue to see starvation, poverty, and unrest there.

posted by @ 7:55 am | 0 Comments



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