Upholding/Restoring Democracy in Haiti: Did We Achieve Our Policy Objectives?
Abstract
Beginning with a brief review of Haiti's historical, political and societal background, this case study analyzes the evolution of American foreign policy toward Haiti in the years following President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's 1991 overthrow and leading up to the 1994 American-led military intervention to restore him to power. Specifically, the study reviews the policy changes by the Bush and Clinton administrations and includes the effects on those changes by factors as diverse as the 'boat people' phenomenon, the traumatic American combat losses in Mogadishu, the USS Harlan County incident, and the hunger strike by TransAfrica's Randall Robinson. It also looks briefly at post-intervention Haiti to determine if we achieved our stated objectives. Though highlighting the Clinton administration's frequent policy shifts and seeming indecision, while also pointing out that President Clinton 'dumbed down' the objectives of the intervention to ensure its success, the study concludes that in the end the president had no better alternative than to intervene with limited objectives, particularly in light of the domestic political pressures from both the left and the right. Consequently, having kept those objectives very limited, President Clinton did achieve them. Long-term success, however, remains debatable.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 10, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA390611
Entities
People
- James L. Dunn
Organizations
- United States Army War College