Snatched from the "Jaws of Success" United States Haiti Policy and Strategic Failure
Abstract
Filled with paradox and contradictions, Haitian politics has been marked by continuous struggle and rebellion. America s post-Cold War involvement in Haiti has been driven by a national desire to maximize a peace dividend and especially to return Haiti s democratically elected president, Jean Bertrand Aristide to power. An adept lobbyist and astute politician, Aristide utilized frozen Haitian funds in the US to lobby members of Congress and the Black Caucus to support his return to power. His efforts succeeded when the Congressional Black Caucus identified the Haitian military as the problem and Aristide as the solution. Responding to this significant political pressure, the Clinton administration embarked on a course that ultimately led to a large-scale operation (Uphold Democracy) that would return Aristide to power on the condition that he would implement a neo-liberal economic and political agenda. Aristide complied with a few of the US demands. However, he failed miserably to redress human rights violations and to reform Haitian politics. Instead, he exploited U.S. support for economic reform to promote his personal agenda. By backing Aristide, The U.S. unwittingly turnedthe success of Operation Uphold Democracy into strategic failure. This paper seeks to explain how and why this failure came about.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 13, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA479016
Entities
People
- Berthony Ladouceur
Organizations
- United States Army War College