The US in Haiti: Why?
After reading the Urgent Appeal to citizens to understand the role of the US and Canadian governments in the Haitian crisis and take immediate action that Anthony and I sent out, a friend asked the obvious next question: why?
That is: if president Aristide is doing a good job of making things a bit better for the majority of Haitians despite the best efforts of the US, as we claim, then why on earth would we want to overthrow them? What follows is my response:
The question is always, necessarily: 'a good job for whom?'
The US Government, like the Canadian one, is largely dominated by corporate interests. So that's who someone has to do a good job for, in order to, in "fact", be doing a good job.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Paradoxically, this makes it rather important in a number of ways.
- As a source of cheap labour. Disney has used Haitian sweatshops to make pocahontas pajamas, among other things, for 11cents/hour. Of 8 million Haitians, around 7 million are willing to work for almost nothing. There are plenty of new 'free trade zones' being set up (tax breaks, controlled access, disempowered labour force, and so on).
- As a standard-bearer. If wages go up in Haiti, they will eventually go up in all the other sweatshops in the Americas, and perhaps abroad. As long as corporations can use Haiti as a reference to say "*well*, in Haiti, we only have to pay...", they can keep costs down everywhere else. That's why the US put massive pressure on the Haitian Government not to raise the minimum wage. What's good for 7 million Haitians, in this case (and many others) is a *huge* problem for corporate America.
- As a potential example. The consistent reason that the US has sustained relentless, vicious (and well documented) terror campaigns in extremely poor countries is to keep them from becoming what is called "the threat of a good example". This is why Cuba is such a huge problem: they'll never be a military threat to the US, but having a dirt-poor country that provides all of its citizens with housing, health care, and adequate food is a bad example. How could other poor people in the region not take notice and ask "why not us?" This is why the poorest countries that institute progressive measures are targeted--if they can make progress socially, then anyone can. Especially those with many times the money and resources.
Like many other poor countries, Haiti is actually rich. It's just that all the riches have been stolen and used to enrich people in Porto Fino, not Port-au-Prince.
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I am appalled that the Canadian Government is taking our foreign policy in any direction that follows the U$. What can we do? How can we stop Paul Martin from giving away our National Identity? What with his talks with the U$ about weaponizing space and now this, what can we, as Canadians, do?
The adjective "Orwellian" is somewhat overused but seems to fit the US perfectly. They claim to be defending freedom and democracy while doing their best to squelch freedom and democracy in any country that is a source of cheap labour, agricultural products, or natural resources. Perhaps what is most Orwellian is that the vast majority of people believe the doublespeak and will kill or die for it. Is there any hope with a populace that can be so easily deceived?
It has been said that there are none so blind as those who will not see, but surely something will happen to open these deliberately closed eyes. Surely the dark side of our good "friend" and neighbour to the South, so clearly visible these days, cannot be ignored forever by the public.
Moronic. That's the only way to describe your opinion on Haiti. Having been to Haiti multiple times, I can attest to the fact that most Haitians have not historically been for or against Aristide. They don't know who to believe. But they do know their lives have NOT improved under his rule. He has been in charge largely from the time of his reinstatement; when Preval was in charge, Aristide was known to be the man making the decisions. Regardless of the politics, here's the bottom line:
1. Your discussion of sweatshops is ludicrous. The Haitian government has been openly hostile to American factories opening up. Repeat after me: "There is not a large contingent of US sweatshops operating in Haiti". With 70% unemployment, THERE ARE NO JOBS IN HAITI PERIOD! Sweatshops would actually help the Haitian people.
2. Your understanding of economics is also silly. Whenever I hear people claiming that increasing the minimum wage is a good thing, it makes me realize that person should really stop talking about economics. Minimum wages do not help any economy, they simply reduce the number of jobs available by increasing labor costs. Get over it.
3. With regard to Cuba, I have long advocated the US should abandon its embargo on the Fidel's land; instead we should flood Cuba with American/western goods. He would not be able to withstand the prosperity a little westernization would bring.
Good article. Great to be able to see my views printed,