THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 14, 1994 TAG: 9410140031
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A22 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
The last of Haiti's coup leaders has left office, and President Jean Bertrand Aristide is scheduled to return to the country tomorrow to resume his office. So far, no Americans have fallen victim to hostile fire in that unfortunate country. It looks like a good time, as former Vermont Sen. George Aiken once said about Vietnam, to declare victory and pull out.
So far, President Clinton's gambit on Haiti appears to have paid off. Gen. Raoul Cedras and his cohorts have stepped down from power, and Cedras has indicated he will leave the country for a cushy exile in Panama. After initial hesitation, U.S. troops have shown a firm hand in the country, coming out on top in a shootout with Haitian police and bloodlessly taking heavy weapons away from the Haitian military. These are strong accomplishments that speak highly of the level of training and professionalism of the American military.
Still, it is hard not to be skeptical that this high-wire act can continue indefinitely. ``Restoring democracy'' is extremely difficult in a country that has never known democracy. And even the most casual television viewer cannot help noticing the angry mobs that dominate Haiti's streets. The return of Aristide might settle things down, or it might make things even more unstable. No one really knows.
It is tempting for the United States to assert political leadership in a power vacuum, but that risks sticking us even more closely to the flypaper. There is no evidence the American people desire to engage in a nation-building exercise. Another name for nation-building, after all, is colonialism.
President Clinton greatly exaggerated the nature of the conflict and the stakes in Haiti, placing U.S. troops in a very dicey situation with only the vaguest of ``exit strategies.'' If the multinational peacekeeping force can be put in place quickly, U.S. troops should be pulled out as soon as possible. If this mission can be concluded without American fatalities, it will be due more to luck than sound planning. by CNB