Aristide has gone, the death squads are back

[Loonman]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1159230,00.html

The man once dubbed the Haitian Mandela has left anarchy in his wake

Gary Younge in Port-au-Prince
Monday March 1, 2004
The Guardian

For the past few days the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, has been growing accustomed to a gruesome ritual. As night falls the streets empty in fear of the wrath of the chimeres - armed pro-Aristide gangs - on looting and shooting sprees. As day breaks, people emerge to see where the bodies have been left. Corpses can lie here for days until someone clears them up.


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Mr Aristide, for most of his political life, espoused social justice and practised the politics of authoritarianism. As a radical priest in the 1980s, he called capitalism a "mortal sin" and encouraged his flock in the shantytown of La Saline to do the holy work of fighting repressive regimes. But he also praised the smell of burning tyres - a reference to the "necklacing" where supporters hung flaming tyres on opponents' necks. In 1988 the Salesians expelled him from their order, accusing him of inciting violence and exalting class struggle.

But at a time when liberation theology was in vogue throughout central America, what worried the Catholic church endeared him to the Haitian people. In 1990 he won a democratic election with a landslide.


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As unrest grew, Mr Aristide relied increasingly on armed gangs. The name of his party, Lavalas, is Creole for torrential floods. In the 2000 legislative elections the party did sweep away everything before it, committing widespread fraud that lead to a freeze on millions of dollars in aid. Despite winning the presidential elections in the autumn of 2000 with 92% of the vote, Mr Aristide had by then lost much of his democratic legitimacy.

It led swiftly led to instability and then insurrection. Last month the rebels seized several towns, many of which the government took back with the help of armed gangs. When, last week, the rebels took the second largest town of Cap Haitien and refused to negotiate, it was clear Mr Aristide had lost his authority.

[Bandit]

1. I wish Democracy would work this way in America

I know a few I wouldn't mind seeing a necklace on.

[Hammie]

2. Be careful what you wish for! <eom>

[Bandit]

4. You are correct in advising caution

I sometimes get caught up in in the stupidity of it all. I surely do not wish America to become like Haiti. I do believe with all my heart that the Bush* Cabal does wish for just that. They have all the guns and power but not the people.

[ithacan]

3. "he called capitalism a "mortal sin""

I think that explains everything...