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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| StrategyPage: Haiti Peacekeeping Fails |
| 2005-05-21 |
| May 21, 2005: The UN has backed off from taking on the gangs directly. Thus disarmament is dead, for the moment. The problem is civilian casualties and the resulting bad publicity. Foreign leftists, supporters of deposed president Aristide, have lawyers and reporters on the scene to go after the peacekeepers for real or perceived shortcomings. Meanwhile, the gangs do as they please, robbing, raping and stealing any reconstruction aid that gets handed out. As a result of that, there is little reconstruction going on, despite donors having pledged $1.3 billion, for nearly 400 different reconstruction projects. At the rate things are going now, the UN will eventually declare victory and go home, leaving Haiti as chaotic and miserable as ever. May 20, 2005: The UN wants another thousand soldiers and police for its peacekeeping force. Without the reinforcements, the national elections this Fall might not come off, or would lead to uncontrolled violence. Member nations are reluctant to send more troops to Haiti, because of the lack of progress in disarming hostile groups there, and carrying out reconstruction. |
| Posted by:ed |