Bal Harbour, Fla.
The current crisis in Haiti represents a failure of U.S. foreign policy. The U.S., after intervening militarily to restore President Aristide to power in 1994, lost the political will for nation-building and did little to support the consolidation of democratic rule. Our Caribbean neighbor’s crushing poverty and weak state institutions urgently requires a long-term commitment from the United States and the international community. The support and defense of democratic processes and democratically elected governments in this hemisphere must be a critical component of U.S. foreign policy.
There are divergent reports on the events leading up to the departure from office by President Aristide. The AFL-CIO calls for a Congressional investigation of these events.
The most urgent task for the international community is to help restore law and order and address the immediate political and humanitarian crisis. All paramilitary forces that have committed human rights violations, including the criminal elements led by Guy Philippe and Luis Jodel Chamblain, must be disarmed, prosecuted, and sentenced. Urgently needed humanitarian aid must be provided to a starving population.
The U.S. must treat Haitian refugees in accordance with the principles of international law. Temporary Protected Status should be granted to Haitians currently in the U.S. and deportations and repatriations to Haiti should be suspended until the rule of law is restored.
Conditions must be created that will allow the re-establishment of functioning democracy at both the national and local levels. Trade unions, women’s organizations, peasant and community organizations, faith communities, and other representatives of Haiti’s marginalized majority, must be full participants in building a durable democracy. The U.S. should work with CARICOM, the OAS, the United Nations and the international community to assist Haitians working to restore democracy in their country.
In the longer term, the international community must support economic justice for the Haitian people. This will require a program of democratic, equitable, and sustainable development, based on respect for fundamental human and worker rights. the continued imposition of privatization and a low-wage, export-oriented economic model will not serve this end.