Haiti, the second country to declare its independence from colonialism in the Americas in 1804, continues to struggle against foreign domination in this year of its bicentennial. Despite a legacy of foreign support for violent antidemocratic rule, the people of Haiti have attempted to construct a grass roots democracy. In the past decade, these efforts have engendered triumphs and reversals, notably the events of this past February.
What kinds of regimes have been in power in Haiti over the past decades and whose interests have they served? Who are the military and paramilitary forces that overthrew Aristide (in 1991 and earlier this year) and what kind of project do they promote? Who are their backers and beneficiaries? Who are the victims? What lies behind the US interventions in 1994 and before and since, especially the intervention this past February? Finally, who is resisting paramilitary rule and what are the prospects for democracy's return? We will discuss these and other questions surrounding recent events in Haiti, with an eye on its history and an emphasis on the state of its economic sovereignty over the past decade.
BIO
Pierre Labossiere is a founding member of the Haiti Action Committee. The committee is a Bay Area-based network of activists who have supported the Haitian struggle for democracy since 1991. Members foster extensive contacts with the grassroots movements in Haiti. HAC links journalists who want to hear an alternative viewpoint with sources both in Haiti and in the United States.
