Since its founding on January 1 1804, Haiti’s unalienable right to co-exist peacefully with other nations and prosper has been continuously under attack by the great powers. The latest venture was the French-American invasion on February 29 2004, which was indisputably a naked act of aggression against a defenseless country. One needs not be a political scientist to understand that the Haitian people face an existential threat from a cancer within that needs to be neutralized. By openly throwing its support behind Haiti’s superficial minority (the mulattoes), the international community is intentionally creating a Hutu-Tutsi type ethnic divide that would someday culminate in bloodshed.
Naturally, the “divide and rule” policy, which formed the basis of colonialism and allowed small European countries to establish empires many times their sizes, succeeded once again in Haiti. It was in that context the will of the overwhelming majority of Haitians was invalidated by a mulatto-instigated armed insurrection and the U.S-French invasion that toppled the country’s democratically elected government in the year of its bicentennial. Adding insults to injuries, the U.N Security Council, the self-appointed keeper of peace and security in the world, sanctioned the illegal act and declared Haiti “a threat to international peace and security” under Chapter VII, which authorizes the use of military actions to force compliance with its resolutions.
Basically the awesome power of the Security Council was used to deprive Haiti of its sovereign right as enumerated under Article 2 (4) of the U.N Charter, which states: “All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any manner inconsistent with the purpose of the United Nations”. The situation in Haiti hasn’t improved. Some can argue it has gotten considerably worse.
Compounding the hostility of the international community toward Haiti’s majority are MINUSTAH’s violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), which prohibits collective punishments against civilians in occupied territories. Apparently, the Fourth Geneva Convention, ratified by 194 countries, does not apply to Haiti. It is therefore disingenuous of the U.N Security Council to portray itself as guardian of peace and security in the world when it is condoning or participating in war crimes. Shouldn’t Haitians be asking why the world’s dictators are allowed to oppress their countrymen and a democratically elected president forced out of power by the international community?
While the answer is understandably too complex for many Haitians to grasp, the question in itself provides an insight to their predicament. Even the Security Council resolutions against nations that are developing weapons of mass destructions were not authorized under the repressive Chapter VII. Nevertheless, this clear indication of the international community’s dubious intentions toward Haiti continues to elude the country’s intelligentsia which, thus far, refuses to own up to its role as the conscience of the nation.
These actions naturally erode the credibility of the world’s most powerful deliberative body, which has become addicted to passing politically motivated resolutions that are increasingly disregarded by a significant number of countries, namely North Korea, Iran, and Sudan. This inconceivable action of the Security Council, which has no legal or moral basis whatsoever, epitomizes the old Haitian adage “dan pouri gen fos sou bannann mi”, or rotten teeth are strong against over ripped bananas.
Since the power of the Security Council is incontestable, any Haitian complying with the occupation is inadvertently participating in the eventual destruction of Haiti. A superficial divide that could become intractable in the near future has been created and February 29 2004 will be regarded by historians as the starting point. It is evident the international community’s attitude toward Haiti is self-serving. Keeping a poor nation at gunpoint would backfire, as actions speak louder than words. The international community’s actions in Haiti betray its often-repeated promises to help the Haitian people find their out of the vicious cycles of repression, poverty, and despair. In fact, the forced integration of the Haitian economy into the global economy is geared toward institutionalizing the authority of the ruling elite. Once in place, the mechanisms may be impossible to undo without a violent upheaval that will certainly elicit a forceful response from the international community in the form of sanctions, embargoes, and even military actions.
Once again, the country is being shortchanged by a leadership that is either too subdued or compromised to look after its people’s interests, which is helping re-create tribalism, the scourge of Africa, in Haiti. The task of extricating Haiti from the combined power of international piracy and the mulatto elite may be daunting but achievable nevertheless. As Eric Hoffer correctly wrote: “You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you”. Without a doubt, the ruthless tactics of MINUSTAH in Haiti illustrate that statement.
ddjougan@yahoo.com
Is the UN Implementing Tribalism in Haiti?
