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“The Caribbean Solidarity Network Rejects Calls for Canadian Intervention in Haiti ”

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  “The Caribbean Solidarity Network Rejects Calls for Canadian Intervention in Haiti ” For Immediate Release Media contact: caribbeansolidarity@gmail.com October 19 - 2022 (Toronto) On October 16, 2022, the Canadian military sent “security equipment” to Haiti, consisting of tactical and armored vehicles to the Haitian National Police, as the first step of what will become a broader multi-national intervention in the country. While falsely portrayed as “humanitarian intervention”, the Caribbean Solidarity Network stands in direct opposition to this latest Canadian imperial intervention in Haiti, as it undermines Haitian self-determination and props up the illegitimate, criminal, puppet government of Ariel Henry. Media coverage repeatedly conveys the story of shortages, hardship and violence due to the unchecked power of gangs. While the hardships facing Haitians are real, they must be reported within the wider context of both recent and historical realities. The primary reasons for Hait
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Elections in Haiti: Legitimizing Imperialism and Killing Democracy?

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Originally posted on Black Agenda Report , March 30, 2022 As the white rulers of Haiti push for illegitimate elections, can the “Montana Accord”- an agreement among some civil society groups to return democracy to Haiti - offer a way out of the country’s neocolonial predicament?  If you were to read (and believe) mainstream reporting on Haiti, the political dysfunction of the country is a long standing, self-inflicted condition, one which can only be improved through additional rounds of direct foreign intervention and “guidance” in the form of so-called democracy promotion. Elections, the unelected US/EU-led  CORE Group   argues, are the only way towards a functioning society rooted in democracy and the rule of law. The sooner the elections in Haiti the better. However, reality refuses to conform to this liberal fantasy, which conflates western-backed elections with democracy. Haitian people have seen that internationally imposed, funded, and organized elections in 2010 and 2016 have
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Martelly steadfast in his denial of Haitian democracy

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Originally posted by: Stabroeknews.com January 26, 2015 Since Michel Martelly came to power in an election which was deeply fraught with inconsistencies and irregularities in early 2011, he has demonstrated his contempt for the democratic process by consistently subverting elections for domestic posts within Haiti at every available opportunity. After a string of delays, on October 26, 2014, the Haitian people were supposed to vote for 20 new Senators, the entire lower house of parliament and numerous local officials. It did not happen. As a result, this means that the Haitian Senate and lower house is no longer functional, and when it comes to mayoral elections, 130 have been politically appointed over several years by the President as “municipal agents”. The fallout from the crisis eventually led to Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe stepping down on December 14, amid intense anti-government protest. Under Lamothe questions have also been raised about widespread fraud
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Black men face police violence north of the border too

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Originally Posted on: ricochetmedia.ca December 30, 2014 No doubt the names Michael Brown and Eric Garner ring a bell for people who follow current events. Both men were murdered by police in the United States, with grand juries declining to indict the officers responsible. These displays of police impunity led to widespread protest throughout North America. Indeed, outrage north of the border led several thousand Torontonians to loudly demonstrate outside the U.S. consulate to denounce the Michael Brown verdict. But what about Jermaine Carby? Likely most Canadians have not heard of this young man’s untimely death, though his murder by Peel Regional Police parallels the better known case of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The response to the deaths of local, unarmed black men such as Carby has not been comparable to the outrage and mobilization triggered by incidents south of the border. This needs to change now.
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Ganja and Globalization in St. Vincent

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Originally posted on: stabroeknews.com December 15, 2014 January 2015 will mark the 20th anniversary of the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its one size fits all prescription for global trade. Despite its steadfast refusal to do otherwise, dominant economic theory must take into account the diverse realities of the countries which make up the global community. Due to matters of geography and history, no two countries are alike – and any effort to universalize a set of best economic practices is fundamentally and dangerously incorrect. In the Caribbean context, what we have seen is that economic globalization has unfolded to the benefit of the most powerful nations and their respective multinational corporations. The resulting economic marginalization of small countries like the Eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent are seen as collateral damage of the liberalized global trade regime. The statistics of economic growth reveal that contrary to the
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Censorship and the Need for a Freedom of Information Act in St. Lucia

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December 5, 2014 It has been stated time and again that an informed citizenry is an essential prerequisite to the functioning of a democratic society. Indeed the Caribbean region is often hailed as being a bastion of democracy and stability by many academics in comparison to their Central and Southern American neighbours, where a historical cycle of coups, rebellion and dictatorships prevailed throughout the Cold War years. In the present era, the intensification of globalization has been welcomed by the economic and political powers that be as a stabilizing force, one which brings financial, technological and information flows to all corners of the globe. Yet, despite these promises, globalization also has a much darker side, one of which outside of the threat of terrorism is very rarely discussed. Despite the World Trade Organization promoting tourism and financial services as the saviour of St. Lucia after the enforced decimation of the banana trade, these industries have in
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Location: Toronto, ON, Canada
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The United Nations Will Fail Haiti Once Again

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October 14, 2014 Originally Published in Counterpunch On  October 15 , the United Nations Security Council will meet to “debate” the extension of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) which has acted as an occupying force in the country since the summer of 2004. MINUSTAH was created to put an end to the Multinational Interim Force (primarily made up of U.S., French, Canadian and Chilean troops) which occupied Haiti after an internationally backed coup d’état ousted the democratically elected president Jean Bertrand Aristide and his Fanmi Lavalas party from power on February 29, 2004. During these ten years, MINUSTAH has compiled a horrific record of human rights abuses, including but not limited to extrajudicial murder, an epidemic of sexual assault against Haitian men, women and children, the repression of peaceful political protests, in addition to unleashing cholera through criminal negligence which has caused the death of over  9,
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