[Marxism] The 'Militant' and Haiti

[Philip Ferguson <plf13@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Walter writes:
> THE MILITANT continues and deepens its policy of blaming
> the victim in Haiti. It accuses Aristide, the very first
> democratically-elected president in the 200-year history of
> his country of being to blame for his kidnapping and his
> overthrow by the United States government.
>
> Aristide is "in exile", not kidnapped, according to THE
> MILITANT. And so it's not surprising that THE MILITANT
> doesn't call for Aristide's freedom, nor does it see him as
> the legitimate president of Haiti. To THE MILITANT, he was
> a tool of Washington so there was no reason to support him
> in any way, shape or form. And, of course, they don't.



> THE MILITANT also accepts the Bush administration's line
> that that Aristide resigned, as this demonstrates:

From the 'Militant'
> Now in exile in the Central African Republic, Aristide has
> bitterly declared that he was kidnapped by U.S. Marines and
> forced to leave Haiti.
>
> Luis Moreno, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in
> Port-au-Prince, said he showed up at Aristide's home at
> about 4:00 a.m. on February 29 to escort him to the airport.
> Aristide had already packed his bags. "He knew why I was
> there," Moreno said. At the airport, said Moreno, he asked
> for the letter of resignation and Aristide handed it to him."


I agree with you, Walter.

But let's just assume for the minute that Moreno is telling the truth.
*Even then* it still shows the opposite of what the 'Militant' is
claiming.  After all, it shows the US organising the packing off of
Aristide and collecting of a resignation letter - a total violation of
Haitian national sovereignty and a clear sign that the US is pulling the
strings.

The 'Militant' position on Haiti is actually worse than their position
on Iraq.  Whereas in Iraq they opposed the invasion, but joined in the
imperialist demonisation of the Iraqi resistance, engage in the
imperialist lie that Washington is some kind of benevolent protectorate
in Iraq and abstain from the movement to get US troops out, in Haiti
they actually cover for US intervention in the first place.

So the lurch to the right has been clearly intensified.

Phil




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