Clinton in Haiti : the 1994 U.S. invasion of Haiti

The book focuses on Aristide's political career, emphasizing his strategizing, compromising and dealing with the Clinton administration. In his presentation of the conflict, Girard carefully balances Aristide's and Clinton's needs, and the demands and moral positions the leaders make against each other - the result is that each leader and his constituency comes to life, and their maneuverings and decisions become engaging and meaningful. While Girard focuses on the conflict itself and the foreign policy dynamics at play between Haiti and the US, he also paints a compelling picture of contemporary Haiti and delineates with great clarity the tensions which led to recent violence and the deposition of Aristide. Cover 1 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 List of Abbreviations and Foreign Terms 10 Chapter One: Introduction 14 Chapter Two: Haiti Before the U.S. Intervention 22 Chapter Three: Economic Interests 34 Chapter Four: Restoring Democracy 40 Chapter Five: U.S. Credibility 50 Chapter Six: National Security 64 Chapter Seven: Domestic Politics 74 Chapter Eight: Haitian Lobbying 92 Chapter Nine: Invading Haiti, Evading Responsibilities 116 Chapter Ten: Peacekeeping 134 Chapter Eleven: Nation Building: Great Expectations 144 Chapter Twelve: Nation Building: Hard Times 160 Chapter Thirteen: Conclusion 174 Appendix I: Economic Statistics 182 Appendix II: Political Contributions from the Clothing Industry 184 Appendix III: Immigration Data 186 Appendix IV: Haiti after 1994 188 Appendix V: Haitian Lobbying 190 Notes 192 Bibliography 238 Index 254 A 254 B 254 C 254 D 255 E 255 F 255 G 256 H 256 I 256 J 256 K 256 L 256 M 256 N 257 O 257 P 257 Q 257 R 257 S 257 T 258 U 258 V 258 W 258 Z 258

The book focuses on Aristide's political career, emphasizing his strategizing, compromising and dealing with the Clinton administration. In his presentation of the conflict, Girard carefully balances Aristide's and Clinton's needs, and the demands and moral positions the leaders make against each other--the result is that each leader and his constituency comes to life, and their maneuverings and decisions become engaging and meaningful. While Girard focuses on the conflict itself and the foreign policy dynamics at play between Haiti and the US, he also paints a compelling picture of contemporary Haiti and delineates with great clarity the tensions which led to recent violence and the deposition of Aristide.

"When Bill Clinton told his fellow citizens in 1994 that he intended to send an invading force to Haiti, he emphasized that his motives were idealistic: his goal was to restore democracy to Haiti and to end human rights abuses. Clinton in Haiti shows that other factors also played a role: the fear that Florida would be overwhelmed with Haitian refugees; the desire to erase a perception of U.S. military weakness following the military disaster in Somalia; the need to counter Republican attacks that Clinton was not fit to be President; and a successful lobbying campaign orchestrated by Haitian President-in-exile Jean-Bertrand Aristide