Why is CARICOM Betraying Haiti on Behalf of the U.S.?
Posted by sashimi on March 7, 2024, 10:42 pm
Jemima Pierre | 26 Feb 2024
If your knowledge of Haiti is derived entirely from the stories produced by western media outlets, you could be forgiven for believing that the following statements are true:
Haiti, a "failed state" over-run by "gang violence," can only be returned to stability via the invasion of a foreign military force.
Haiti has a sovereign government with the legal authority to request a military invasion of the country to '"fight gangs."
The United States, in pushing for Kenya and CARICOM nations to lead a foreign armed invasion of Haiti, is acting with the best intentions in Haiti and is committed to securing peace and stability in Haiti and the Caribbean region.
CARICOM is acting in solidarity with Haitian people and supporting Haitian sovereignty.
None of these statements is true. And, in fact, such statements help obscure not only the motivations behind the recent calls for foreign intervention in Haiti, but both the nature of Haiti's current political-economic reality, and the history of how Haiti got to this moment. Yet the repetition and over-saturation of such claims in the media, even in the Caribbean region, has duped much of the world into cheering for a foreign military intervention in Haiti. The truth is, under the guise of helping Haiti, Haiti's sovereignty and independence are actually being snuffed out.
So, what is going on in Haiti? Why is the US pushing for yet another foreign military invasion of Haiti? Why are CARICOM countries helping? More importantly, why does Haiti receive so much attention from the United States?
To understand what is going on in Haiti is to understand how consistent the western imperial assault on Haitian people and Haitian sovereignty has been and remains. This assault is reflected in the reality that Haiti is currently under foreign occupation and has been for twenty years. This is no exaggeration.