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Should the U.S. Military intervene in #Haiti? #ForeignPolicy


Score for this "Yes" opinion : 8.6

"U.S. Intervention Necessary For Peace in #Haiti" Sep 13, 2024

“There are more problems in international relations than there are solutions, and I think Haiti, right now, is one example of that.”

The above were the words of celebrated New York Times columnist, #Nick Kristof, a person who has followed the situation in #Haiti closely and even lived in the country for a while.

More recently, Brazil’s foreign minister, #Mauro Vieira, acknowledged just how dire the straits in Haiti were, describing the situation as a “massive, worsening crisis.” All of this, while not explanatory enough, should paint a clear enough picture of the condition of things in Haiti at the moment.

The #United Nations is calling for the deployment of a specialized support force to stem the unprecedented humanitarian crisis surging in the region right now. The question is, should the United States answer that clarion call?

Without mincing words, the answer to that question is “Yes.”

The U.S. has both a right and an obligation to ensure that the country gets back on course.

If you’re wondering why, it’s because there can be no disputing the fact that Haiti needs help. Of course, there’s also the little fact that, by and large, the U.S. is partly to blame for where Haiti finds itself today.

Things have gone very wrong with this country and much of that can be traced back to America’s occupation of Port-au-Prince in 1915. Every involvement that has followed since that time has largely left matters worse instead of better.

As such, there is no better time than the present to set things right once and for all.

The Haitian people have had enough. The masses of the country have been up in arms since August of 2022 because of the insanely high cost of essentials like food and fuel. This is thanks in large part to the appalling state and operation of the #International Monetary Fund.

Banks and stores are almost always closed because of this. And, when these outlets do open, they keep business so brief it’s hard to get anything tangible done. Student unions are protesting the state of things and labor unions are fast on their heels in this regard as well.

From President #Michel Martelly to President #Jovenel Moise (who was assassinated in 2021) to the current “prime minister”, #Ariel Henry things have just continued to spiral out of control for Haiti. There is no doubt that the presence and direct intervention of the Biden administration can help put these things to right.

As if all the above wasn’t bad enough, the level of violence has escalated significantly in the country as well. So now, not only are nearly 50% of the citizens of the country food insecure, the average life expectancy of Haitians has dropped to under 64 years. These stats are unbelievable but hardly surprising when you consider that, in March of 2023 alone, more than 530 people have been killed, over 300 seriously injured, and nearly as many have been kidnapped.

All of these are gang-related incidents and at least 60% of these incidents occurred in Port-au-Prince, the capital of the country alone.

To make a bad matter worse, the state of electoral politics in the region is appalling, to put it mildly. Clear evidence of this rests in the fact that no democratic election has been held in the country in more than 6 years. At the moment, there aren’t even any elected legislators or mayors in the country!

The only thing that has flourished and successfully proliferated in all this time is the gangs that now hold the entire Haitian population hostage. Not a single day goes by when at least one innocent Haitian or two doesn’t fall victim to the evil antics of these individuals.

And, for all of this, the bitter truth is that, if a country that has the willpower, resolve and resources like the United States doesn’t step in, there’s actually a guarantee that things will get far worse before the year runs out.

So far, the Biden administration has been hesitant to directly invest military forces into the effort to restore Haiti. Rather, the U.S. has opted to diplomatically distance itself and take measures like delivering vaccines and a little humanitarian aid here and there instead.

This isn’t inherently bad, of course. And, you only need to look at the track record of previous interventions to understand why such hesitance to act is (somewhat) justified.

But, through it all, it’s important not to forget that, while those who can actually make a difference tarry in showing their hand, lives that could have been saved are lost, properties are razed and the standard of living continues to plummet in Haiti.

Doing it wrong again would certainly be terrible, there is zero doubt about that.

But at this point, the far greater crime would be standing by and letting tranny run unchecked.

It’s high time that the United States got serious about rescuing Haiti. It’s high time that Haiti had peace.

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