Tuesday, March 16, 2004

I would like to invite you to an Open Space event in Washington D.C. April 30 & May 1, 2004. Click here for the invitation: Do-Gooders Exchange: How can we do a better job?

My wife, Merline, and I are now in the U.S. Click here to learn more about the evolution of my work: Update letter for people supportering The Experiment


JohnEngle.info
TheExperiment.info
John@TheExperiment.info

Saturday, March 06, 2004

The "expert opinions" are pouring from articles and interviews regarding Haiti. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these "experts" live in the U.S. and don't seem to be all that concerned with voices from Haitian grassroots sector.

These days I am receiving a multitude of statements from organizations in Haiti, written in Haitian Creole and/or French. Most of what I am receiving speaks out against Aristide and also against a foreign occupation.

Here are two recent articles-in English-written by American colleagues of mine who LIVE in Haiti. They offer important insights.

"U.S. Soldiers' Boots Follow Footprints From the Past" by Jane Regan

"Haiti Crisis: Beyond The Headlines" by Kent Annan and Shelly Satran

JohnEngle.info
TheExperiment.info
John@TheExperiment.info

Thursday, March 04, 2004

I am distraught by all the manupulation happening around Haiti's crisis. Aristide's claim that he was "kidnapped" necessitates a full investigation. We all need to know what really happened at his home during the hours leading up to his departure. While I personally doubt the validity of his claim and feel that he is, yet again, acting on self-interest and not on the interest of Haiti, the investigation needs to take place.

The issue of Aristide's claim of being kidnapped aside, there are pressing issues in Port-au-Prince as armed factions struggle for power. These deserve our attention. For more, go to Eyes On Haiti

It has been clear to me, based on statements from a wide range of grassroots and non-governmental organizations, and on my knowledge of repression of peaceful opposition, that Aristide needed to go. There has been widespread corruption in his government along with clear violations of human rights. Mechanism which could have lead to his removal democratically simply did not exist.

The fact that members of U.S. congress defending Aristide seem relatively uninterested in the voices of legitimate grassroots organizations and leaders of Haitian institutions such as the Haitian State University, is disgraceful. This needs to be questioned. I am curious as to why, when these members are demanding investigations of the U.S. role in Aristide's leaving Haiti, they are not also requesting investigations into the multitude of allegations from reliable sources, of Aristide's implication in drug trafficing and assisinations of people opposing him.


JohnEngle.info
TheExperiment.info
John@TheExperiment.info

Monday, March 01, 2004

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
1 March 2004

Haiti: Lessons must be learned from past mistakes

Only by learning from the mistakes of the multinational intervention of 10 in years ago can the international community effectively protect human rights in Haiti today, Amnesty International said, calling on the UN Security Council to heed five key human rights lessons from the 1994 multinational intervention in Haiti and its aftermath as the Multinational Interim Force is deployed.

The UN Security Council has mandated the force to assist Haitian security forces "to establish and maintain public safety and law and order and to promote and protect human rights". Significantly, the resolution also states that "there will be individual accountability and no impunity for violators." On the basis of these commitments, Amnesty International urgently calls for the following:

1. that the Multinational Interim Force (MIF) commit to ensuring the disarmament of both the rebel forces and the pro-Aristide militias. The failure to disarm the disbanded Haitian military and paramilitary in 1994 has been one of the root causes of ongoing political violence in Haiti.

for more, go to Amnesty International Press Release on Haiti

JohnEngle.info
TheExperiment.info
John@TheExperiment.info
I support Grassroots International recommendations.

Sunday, February 29, 2004
Aristide Leaves...The Challenges Mount
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is no longer the issue in Haiti. Under intense international pressure and threat of a rebel attack on the capital, Aristide left Haiti today. While many will celebrate his departure, the failure of the Aristide experiment cannot be cause for celebration for any supporter of the Haitian people. There will be ample time to debate his legacy, but now is not that time.

To read more Grassroots International: Aristide Leaves...The Challenge Mounts


JohnEngle.info
TheExperiment.info
John@TheExperiment.info