A Long History of Making Things Worse in Haiti

[ProfX]

Haiti asks world for military help to curb chaos
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63181481

Haiti has asked for foreign military support to curb its gang violence crisis which has paralysed the country.

The Haitian government authorised Prime Minister Ariel Henry to request armed help due to "the risk of a major humanitarian crisis".
The US meanwhile urged its citizens in Haiti to leave due to the insecurity.

[snip]

The UN's presence has left a mixed legacy in Haiti: its peacekeepers accepted partial responsibility for sparking a cholera epidemic more than a decade ago which killed about 10,000 people.

[snip]

Deaths are frequent, with more than 200 people killed in gang violence in Port-au-Prince in the space of just 10 days in July, according to figures from the UN.

[end]

I am against any U.S. military intervention. Last time we put Marines in Haiti in the 1920s, we got zombie movies, they got us training the military coup leaders that kept dictators in power. I supported Aristide, but Clinton's intervention was little better & a fiasco.

I could accept a UN humanitarian intervention, but the last time the UN was there, they brought cholera.

Haiti reminds me of Syria right now - all options are bad.

Best thing the U.S. could do - open the doors to Haitian refugees and asylum. Make sure their status is secure.

[ZoWie]

Haiti has a long and depressing history that I'm sure you're already familiar with. The trouble dates to the colonial era, and was made worse when the slaves were among the first ones in the world that had the gall to rebel against their white masters. This made it an independent nation, but ultimately one paying ruinous reparations to France and then for a time being occupied by the US. Somewhere along the line it was also defoliated, bringing disastrous floods every hurricane season.

Yes, the place is a mess. Yes, every time someone intervenes there, no matter how humanitarian the goals are, it seems to bring unpleasant consequences. I don't think there's a solution. It's best to stay out and try to help from afar.

[ProfX]

Well, at least they can't spread cholera.

US sends armored vehicles to help Haiti fight ‘criminal actors’
https://thehill.com/policy/3690989-us-s ... al-actors/

The U.S. and Canada have sent armored vehicles to Haiti after its government called for foreign help in defending against gangs threatening to oust acting prime minister Ariel Henry.

Henry’s government faces a mounting political and security crisis after the prime minister last month announced an end to fuel subsidies, spurring crippling shortages and soaring prices.

In a statement on Sunday, a State Department spokesperson said that a joint U.S.-Canadian aircraft arrived at the capital city of Port-au-Prince with equipment including tactical and armored vehicles and other supplies.

“This equipment will assist (Haiti’s National Police) in their fight against criminal actors who are fomenting violence and disrupting the flow of critically-needed humanitarian assistance, hindering efforts to halt the spread of cholera,” the State Department said.

[snip][end]

They promise to us them only on the "bad guys."