The Puppet, the Dictator, and the President: Haiti Today and Tomorrow

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The Puppet, the Dictator, and the President: Haiti Today and Tomorrow
Created 01/17/2012 - 20:13
by BAR editor and columnist Jemima Pierre, PhD

There they were, at the official ceremony: the living, breathing banes of Haiti’s existence. “Rubbing shoulders on stage, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries were Haitian President Michel Martelly, former US President and UN Special Envoy, Bill Clinton, and, Jean Claude Duvalier,” the mass murderer and former dictator. The dictator is hoping for some kind of comeback, and the puppet president “will open up Haiti to permanent US occupation and economic exploitation while terrorizing Haitians who fight back.” Clinton oversees the whole process on behalf of imperialism.



“Duvalier has been allowed to roam Haiti’s streets, even dining at the finest restaurants with the likes of Sean Penn.”

Lost amidst the heart-wrenching stories and photographs of the “poor Haitians” living in squalor and misery circulating on the second anniversary of the 12 January 2010 earthquake, another set of images appeared. Few people noticed these other images – they received little attention in the mainstream media – but they offer an insight into the prospects for Haiti’s reconstruction and, indeed, into the prospects for Haiti’s political and economic future.


The images [4] were taken during the official commemoration ceremonies at the hillside of Titanyen [5], north of Port-au-Prince, where former dictators Jean Claude Duvalier and his father, Francois Duvalier, discarded the bodies of their political opponents. After the earthquake, it became the gravesite of thousands of unidentified earthquake victims. During the ceremonies, local delegates and international diplomats paid their respects to the Haitians that lost their lives and pledged to help those who lived. But the most striking image [6] that emerged during the ceremonies was that of an immoral triumvirate. Rubbing shoulders on stage, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries were Haitian President Michel Martelly, former US President and UN Special Envoy, Bill Clinton, and, Jean Claude Duvalier. To understand the future of Haiti, we have to shift our focus from the “poor Haitians” who dominate Haiti coverage and understand the significance of these three figures to the shaping of US imperial designs on Haiti.

“President Martelly is the face – and backbone – of a resurgent Duvalierism.”

“Baby Doc” Duvalier returned to Haiti after twenty-five years in exile on 16 January 2010. His arrival was supposedly a surprise, though it is becoming clear that he was given the go-ahead by France and the United States. The Obama administration’s relative silence around the return of Duvalier needs to be contrasted with the noise it made while it forcefully [7] tried to prevent [8] the return of Jean Bertrand Aristide, Haiti’s first democratically elected President. The contrast smacks of duplicity. Let’s remember that under Duvalier (and his father, Francois) nearly 50,000 [9] Haitians were killed, disappeared, and tortured by the reviled tonton macoutes [10], his private army. At the same time, Duvalier embezzled [11] hundreds of millions of dollars, most of which sponsored an exiled life of grandeur [12]. Despite the calls for his arrest and prosecution by Haitian survivors, lawyers, and international human rights organizations, Duvalier has been allowed to roam Haiti’s streets, even dining at the finest restaurants with the likes of Sean Penn.


What does Duvalier symbolize? For Haiti’s elite, he represents a form of totalitarian nostalgia. There is a cultish aura that surrounds Duvalier, a reminder of the era of “macoutized bourgeoisie [13],” as journalist Kim Ives has referred to it, when there was an alliance between the elite and the paramilitary forces of terror. But Duvalierism was also good for US politics and economics. In the 1960s, they needed Francois (“Papa Doc”) Duvalier to offset the rise of revolutionary communist Cuba. Under Jean Claude (“Baby Doc”), they were able to open up the Haitian markets and resources to US businesses, expand sweatshops, and lay the basis for the coming neoliberal economic policies.

“Duvalierism was good for US politics and economics.”

This is where the US-selected President Martelly and “Papa” Bill Clinton come in. As we’ve pointed out here [14] on Black Agenda Report, right-wing candidate Martelly was handpicked by the Obama administration to become Haiti’s president in a forced election marred by irregularities and low voter turn out. More importantly, he is the face – and backbone – of a resurgent Duvalierism. His Duvalier affinities are well known as is his animus [15] towards former President Aristide. He has historic ties with Duvalier loyalists, has called for “amnesty [16]” for Duvalier, and is now in the process of reestablishing the Haitian army. Moreover, his erratic and belligerent interactions with his constituency and political colleagues – and, in particularly, his threats against Haitian journalists – are early indications of his repressive tendencies.


But he is a good puppet. As Ezili Danto of the Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network reminds us: “Martelly is merely a tool to be used by those ‘more schooled in the patterns of privilege and domination’ than any self-serving Haiti politician could ever dream to be. Martelly is the valve that releases accumulated surface pressure while reinforcing the ‘violent Haitian’ narrative. Brilliant US/Euro move. A no brainer.” In the meantime, he will open up Haiti to permanent US occupation and economic exploitation while terrorizing Haitians who fight back. As the U.S. attempts to consolidate its military presence in the Western hemisphere, control of Haiti is important. For many, this is one of the reasons explaining Haiti’s currently military occupation by the UN-led criminal force, MINUSTAH, the largest UN military force in a country that is not at war. It is also the reason for the massive new US embassy in Haiti, the fourth largest US embassy in the world.


“Clinton practically dictates Haitian policy.”
And then there’s Bill Clinton. Clinton provides the “kind [17]” face of US control of Haiti. With his push to turn Haiti into a Western tourist paradise while Haitians become cheap sweatshop labor [18] for making Western goods, Clinton is the arbiter of a new phase of neoliberalism. Clinton practically dictates Haitian policy. In fact, in one of the more absurd and nepotistic twists of Haiti’s political history, Haiti’s Prime Minister, Gary Conille, is Clinton’s former chief of staff [19]. Conille also has a long family [19] history with the Duvaliers: his father was a minister to Baby Doc. As @dominique_e recently said on twitter, everything is set to “kill Haiti with neoliberalism.”

Last week, Glen Ford remarked [20] that in the US media, “Haiti is most often spoken of as a tragedy – when it is actually the scene of horrific crimes, mainly perpetrated by the United States over the span of two centuries.” With the puppet, the dictator, and the president on the scene, it is hard to imaging a more sinister cohort guiding Haiti down the path of US exploitation.
Jemima Pierre can be reached at BAR1804@gmail.com

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This picture is really disgusting.I can understand why some people hate american foreign policies so much.At a time when Hillary clinton is talking about the Arabs 'spring;her husband is shaking hands with one of the worst diactators of the caribbean.

"Yap kritike Bill Clinton aloske se souu gouvenman Bill Clinton ke neg ameriken komanse pran elan nan sosyete a."

mwen deja diw bouke ekspose iyorans w sou forum lan.genyen yon lot bagay ou di la ankor ki montre ke malgre tou jefor Joel fè pou edike nou sou forum lan se komsi se woch lap voye nan lan mè ou pa janm tande pale de Frederick Douglas de Dubois e de tout lot entelektyel nwa ameriken ki ap defann ayiti depi lontan.poukisa ou pa aprann de moun ki konnen pase w ?Maten se yon sel lide ki vinn nan tet mwen se poum te kri yon atik an angle :Is Bill Clinton a new pimp to sell Michel Martelly?

Rozo di: Maten se yon sel lide ki vinn nan tet mwen se poum te kri yon atik an angle :Is Bill Clinton a new pimp to sell Michel Martelly?

Nou byen kontan ke w pa fe sa mon fre!

Pou kisa ou kontant ke mwen pa ekri teks saa.Eske se pa vre Bill Clinton pap defann dwa pep la ankor?Li di kareman li regret li te mennen Aristide tounen.Jodya li di li pa janm pale ak yon Presidan ayisyen ki konn sal vle tankou Martelly.Ki donk nan nouvo wol ke bill clinton ap jwe jodya li rekonet martelly kom yon Presidan ki pi bon pase ni Aristide ni Preval.Gade ki jan li ap bay JCD lan men .Bill clinton pa ka di li pa konnen premye fo pa ke martelly fè e tout lajan li ap gaspiye poul domi nan chanb ki koute 13 000 dola pa nwit poul mache fè diskou pandan ke ayisyen ap mouri ak kolera klinik ap femen pa mank dajan se Leonel fernandez ki ap vin bati yon iniversite an ayiti pou jeness la.ayisyen ap kite peyi ya tankou se yon lanfè yap fwi.martelly fè dyaspora hold up menm Dennis Obrien mande yon audit poul konnen kote lajan li kolekte yo pase.. Se wou sel ki pa konprann ki moun Bill Clinton ye jodya.Yo di:" ceux qui se ressemblent s'assemblent et chassez le naturel il revient au galop".Hareng saur ap toujou rete harang saur.se vre l'habit ne fait pas le moine.mwen fini pa ADMET se vre sa yo di ya meriken pa beswen moun onet e entelijan an ayiti.

Rozo di: Pou kisa ou kontant ke mwen pa ekri teks saa.Eske se pa vre Bill Clinton pap defann dwa pep la ankor?Li di kareman li regret li te mennen Aristide tounen.
Jodya li di li pa janm pale ak yon Presidan ayisyen ki konn sal vle tankou Martelly.Ki donk nan nouvo wol ke bill clinton ap jwe jodya li rekonet martelly kom yon Presidan ki pi bon pase ni Aristide ni Preval.Gade ki jan li ap bay JCD lan men.

Rozo! w jalou memm jan ak yon fanm! W pa renmen Bill Clinton paske li antan li byen ak yon neg ke w pa renmen. Sa se jalouzi fanm. Li pa Pimp w anko, donk w ap fe jalouzi pou sa. W te damou misye trop.

Rozo di: se Leonel fernandez ki ap vin bati yon iniversite an ayiti pou jeness la.

Se pa vre!
Se lajan donasyon Union Europeyen pou konstwi iniversite saa ke La Dominikani ak administre e sipervise konstriksyon sa.

Rozo di: ayisyen ap kite peyi ya tankou se yon lanfè yap fwi.

Se pa vre! Ayisyen renmen peyi yo! Si yo kite se deye job ke yo al chache memm jan ak tout lot nasyon.
Se w ki rayi e pe peyi w! W finn retrete avek ase lajan pou retounnen nan peyi'w pou viv kankou wa madigra.
W deside viv de preferans nan peyi blan.

Bill clinton pat janm sovè pou mwen non menmsi mwen te apresye lè li te fè Aristide tounen an.Men sal te fè ya pa genyen oken valè pwiske li di li te regret sa.Poukisa li regret li te retounen Aristide an ayiti /mwen pa konn poukisa paske li pa ka di se pakse aristide se volè se kriminel gade ki jan li ap bay lan men ak JCD.Ki donk Clinton jodya se antitez moun ki te retounen Aristide an ayiti.clinton tounen yon jesse Helms;se vre nan zafè politik etranje pa genyen oken diferans ant demokrat e repibliken.mwen konpran ke se dwa tout ameriken pou yo defann enterè peyi yo e mwen ap toujou rekonet dwa yo paske se enbesil ki bay e sot ki pa pran.men tou genyen de bagay yon moun fè ki fel pèdi tout kredibilite li.Map mande si Jimmy carter te pral nan yon reseptyon kote JCD tap la tou.

zafè ou di se inyon ewopeyen ki bay ayiti iniversite Rwa henry Christophe la se manti.Leonel Fernandez pa ta fouti genyen odas poul di se don pep dominiken a pep ayisyen paske li konnen ke jounalis ewopeyen yo te pral denonse li.Menm o ka se li yo ta bay lajan pou bati yon iniversite modern pou jeness la se ta yon wont pou tout ayisyen ;al li jounal Le Nouvelliste ou byen atik mwen poste sou forum lan, anvan ou vinn ekspose iyorans w sou sit la.ou pa tande konbyen moun ki mouri an ayiti aoske yo pa ka jwen yon remed nan farmasy pou ba yo?mwen ka site 3 moun ke mwen konnen ki mouri nan move kondityon.konbyen lopital an ayiti ki ka fè yo opreation pou repare kè yon moun?mwen se kote mwen byen ki peyim tande. yo kidnape m nespa revelatyon.mwen se teryen jis jou a rive ma val nan dernye demèm.Ou ta renmen tounen popu fè yo kidnape m .mwen pa beswen presidan no senatè, ni anbasadè ni konsil se wou ki ap defann martelly poul fè w anbassaadè ou konsil kek kote pou chita deyè biro tout la sent jounen ap li jounal;parese sansi al fout travay la tè an ayiti ah ah ah ah ah