Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 10, 1994 TAG: 9410110008
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DONALD NUECHTERLEIN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
What started as a limited operation to facilitate President Aristide's return to power by Oct. 15 is turning into a major American commitment to build, not restore, democracy in this unhappy Caribbean country.
The initial White House statement said the size of the U.S. force would be 15,000. The number has passed 20,000, and the Pentagon would not predict how many more troops would be needed.
In addition, the deal brokered by ex-President Jimmy Carter with Gen. Raoul Cedras gave the Haitian army and police responsibility for keeping peace in the streets. American troops, President Clinton said, would not be the policemen there.
However, when local police disappeared after 10 were killed by U.S. Marines, looting and anarchy began to emerge in the capital, Port-Au-Prince. Secretary of Defense William Perry said U.S. troops should not get involved in street disorders as that would result in American casualties.
What we face in the next few weeks is a serious breakdown of law and order in Haiti, as supporters of President Aristide take matters into their own hands. This may include widespread retribution against police and their allied civilian thugs who oppressed the population.
By the time President Aristide returns, if he does so, Haiti could be engulfed in civil war unless the United States sends more troops and takes over the police role.
Was this situation foreseen at the White House and Pentagon? I believe so, for two reasons.
First, the Pentagon and State Department learned a severe lesson in Somalia last year when they thought a few thousand American and U.N. troops could pacify that African country and install a functioning government.
That plan didn't work because the occupying force was too small, and because Congress decided Somalia was not worth the lives of American soldiers dying in combat.
Second, Haiti is far more important to the United States than Somalia or Rwanda. Lying a few hundred miles south of Florida, Haiti was an American protectorate earlier in this century, including during a 19-year occupation by our Marines. Another factor is that Haitian refugees are fleeing to the United States to avoid oppression and starvation at home.
Given these realities, what course should the United States pursue in Haiti in the months ahead? Only two realistic options exist:
Withdraw U.S. forces after President Aristide is back in power, regardless of Haiti's internal security situation.
Increase U.S. forces by whatever number it takes to maintain public order over a long period, and give the elected Aristide government time to build a democracy.
Much pressure will emerge in Congress to withdraw the American troops if they sustain substantial casualties in coming months, particularly if President Aristide is unable (or unwilling) to prevent reprisals against Haiti's political elite and the police who supported their power.
That course would be a mistake.
If we abandon Haiti to civil war and chaos after sending 20,000 troops there to build democracy, the United States will be a laughingstock among the NATO allies and most other countries. Such action would embolden potential dictators elsewhere to conclude that the United States is a ``paper tiger.'' It would exacerbate racial tensions at home.
The United States has a historic and a humanitarian interest in helping Haiti out of its misery and into association with democratic states in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti is just as important to the United States as other states in the Caribbean, including Panama, Jamaica and Cuba.
We should be realistic, not wimpish, about seeing this Haiti operation through to a successful conclusion. It may take several years to do the job right, but we should not back away from the challenge.
Donald Nuechterlein is a political scientist who lives in Charlottesville, and author of ``America Recommitted: U.S. National Interests in a Restructured World.''
by CNB