Haiti Crisis

[alaric]

This very interesting AP article claims that the former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was forcibly removed from power by US forces against his will.

The article quotes Aristide himself as saying: "No. I was forced to leave. They were telling me that if I don't leave they would start shooting, and be killing in a matter of time."

Another interesting quote from the article: "Aristide told reporters that he signed documents relinquishing power out of fear that violence would erupt in Haiti if he didn't comply with the demands of "American security agents."

If this turns out to be true the rammifications of this are quite troubling indeed. This will mark the second time in as many years the US government will have deposed a foreign leader just because they didn't like him. However, it's far more serious this time. In Iraq, they tried to sell the action to the public and even got congressional approval first. In Haiti, I doubt congress was even sent an email about it before we went in. (Not that congressional authorization is an excuse to go into any country and remove people we don't like but at least it stays within the limits of the Consitution.)

To put it simply, if this is true, Bush just unilaterally deposed the leader of a foreign government without even consulting congress beforehand. This is a major step towards a military dictatorship and is a serious abuse of his presidential power.

[Cossack]

It is still pure speculation. One good thing about this action is that France and the United States are cooperating. Afterall Haiti used to be a French colony and they do have some responsibility concerning the welfare of Haiti. It was their colonial actions that are partly responsible for the instability in the country. Another difference between this and Iraq is this is another Liberia. Both sides invited us in and the international community is behind us. As for strongarming like that, well who knows, but as of now it is baseless speculation.

[BFG]

Well i hope for bush's sake its true... Im just glad someone has gone in there, and its a good thing the french and americans are working together on this one...

I must say i was very surprised to see in the papers this morning that the americans had flown Aristide out.... only a few hours earlier i had been seeing reports on how stubbon he was being, and blatently refusing to move whatever happend.... So for him just to pop out the country like that....

Specualtion of course just speculation

[Cutter]

well this isn't the first time he had to be removed for his own safety. this rebellion has been going on for three weeks now and the rebels have demanded only one thing on thier march to the capital, that aristide leave. he's now gone, international troops headed by americans, french, and canadians are on the ground and hopefully all will work out. i know on the news the haiti looks like somalia, but the hatian people are some of the hardest working and kindest people in the world. they just live in horrible poverty, mainly thanks to aristide.

i like the part where he said he was told to leave by white americans. thing is his entire personal security force is white americans, ex cia and the like that he hired after the last time rebels demanded his removal.

if anything it took too long for international troops to move into action. the rebels have been taking over towns and murdering innocent people for three weeks now. i thought bush, and even more so the u.n. and the french should've gone in at least before the capital was surrounded.

[Brain]

so, while we're all just speculating here.  i wonder (if all accusations lodged are true) wether this would effectively cancel out or override the 'rollout' of a captured bin laden at the republican national convention (assuming of course that those reports are true and the us and pakistan are lying through their teeth)

[c| Spetsnaz.]

I doubt the religious right would bat an eye over the Hati situation(for obvious reasons), and the use of covert action, which is nothing new. The U.S. put him there(Aristide), so I reckon Karl Rove will be hard at work spinning this into a non-issue.