1991+Aristide+and+Coup

September 30, 1991, the nation of Haiti democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Less than a year after this election, the army launched a brutal coup d'etat that resulted in exiling President Aristide. A brutal military dictatorship took control afterward, allegedly backed by the United States.
 * General Summary **

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= Jean Bertrand Aristide = = = Jean-Bertrand Aristide was born on July 15, 1953 in Port-Salut, Haiti. At a young age his father was killed and he was forced to move to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Here, Aristide was raised by Roman Catholic priests from the Salesian Order, also known as the Society of St. Francis de Sales. These priests helped with the education and guidance of Haitian orphans.

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Aristide attended the University of Haiti and earned a degree in psychology. He also attended a seminary in Haiti of the Salesian Order where he became a priest. Traveling during his studies, Aristide visited Britain, Canada, Israel, Egypt, Italy, and Greece. Through his studies and travels he learned to speak eight different languages; Creole his native language, English, French, Spanish, Hebrew, German, Italian, and Portuguese. ======

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In 1982, Aristide became a priest. This, however, was short lived. Six years later in 1988, the Salesian Order expelled him for his radical views. Aristide preached anti-government views and tried to sway members of his church against the government. At St. Jean Bosco, Aristide preached that Haiti was poor because of the absence of a democracy and a government capable for providing for the poor and hungry. He believed “that only a religious and political cleansing could save the country.” This angered the Vatican who view the role of a priest as a person who should breed peace, and never violence and hatred. However, Aristide held views that most Haitians agreed with. This led to thousands of demonstrators stopping him from leaving Haiti when the Vatican called him to Rome for his outspokenness and radical views. ======  In 1990 Aristide was elected president of Haiti with 67% of the vote. Aristide was popular with the people of Haiti because he opposed the dictatorships of the Duvaliers and promised to raise the country from poverty. With his socialist views Aristide was highly unpopular with the United States. This led to a military coup led by General Raoul Cedras backed by the United States CIA. Aristide was forced into exile, first heading to Venezuela, then to the United States. From the United States he was went to Jamaica, and then was sent to South Africa where he resided until 1993. In 1993 Aristide returned to Haiti after the United States under the Clinton administration used military pressure to return democracy to Haiti. In 1995 his term ended and he was succeeded by Rene Preval. He returned again in 2000 for another term after saying he would not run for presidency again. Many people felt that Aristide was attempting to create a dictatorship with him as dictator. This caused all other major candidates to drop out of the race. Then in 2004 he was once again removed from power and to this day remains in South Africa. media type="youtube" key="Ax4grXTIL5E" height="344" width="425" Here is a clip with Jean-Bertrand Aristide voicing his wish to return to Haiti

=Escalation and Leading up to Coup =

__**Prior to the Coup**__

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Upon the fall of Jean-Claude Duvalier in 1986, a temporary military government was set up until a new Haitian constitution was created in 1987. In the following elections Professor Leslie Manigat was elected into office, however after only 3 months of serving his government was overthrown by General Henri Namphy and the Haitian military. Soon after this, General Prosper Avril seized command through yet another coup in 1988. The following year, in December 1990, democratic elections were held and Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected into office receiving 67% of the vote. Although Aristide’s election gave hope to many citizens that a stable government would finally be established, the wealthier citizens of society were alarmed by his radical policies and unruly supporters. This lack of support would eventually cause Aristide to fall from power. ======.
 * __Drug World’s Affect on the Coup__ ** [[image:http://z.about.com/d/alcoholism/1/0/I/v/1/cocaine10.jpg width="341" height="224" align="right" caption="Cocaine is a common drug traveling through the Haitian Drug World."]]

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In the early 1980’s the drug trade through Haiti was limited to few individual corrupt officials, however by 1985 it became the transportation center of the cocaine industry. In order to combat the escalating traffic of drugs, the United States Central Intelligence Agency worked to set up the Haitian National Intelligence Agency which would collaborate with the CIA against the cartels. From 1986 through 1991, the CIA invested millions of dollars into the NIS so that it could develop into an elite narcotics unit. ======

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Despite the CIA’s noble intentions, the NIS, which was comprised entirely of Haitian military personnel, quickly evolved into a gang of political terrorists and drug traffickers. Information was later revealed that the NIS used the CIA’s money to spy on and oppress Haitian citizens. There were also many reports that the organization was working to distribute drugs. ======

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The drug world faced great risk with Aristide’s election into office in 1990. During his short time as President, Aristide worked to prohibit drug shipments through Haiti. Fearful that Aristide would be successful in stopping drug trafficking through Haiti, the NIS, funded by the CIA, teamed up with other opponents of Aristide in order to organize a coup against the democratic government. ======

=The Coup and Aftermath=

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Aristide's radical socialistic policies and the violence of his bands of followers worried many of the country's leaders. As a result, in September 1991, Aristide was overthrown in a violent coup that catapulted General Raoul Cédras to lead the crippled nation. There were numerous accounts of violent resistance to the coup, in which hundreds were killed, and Aristide was forced into exile. A projected 3,000-5,000 Haitian citizens were killed during the period of chaotic military rule in the troubled Haiti. The @junta, military thugs that were responsible for the coup, were also accountable for the massacre of thousands of protesters. ======



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The leader of the junta, Emmanuel “Toto” Constant, recognized he had received financial and personnel support from the CIA. Emmanuel Constant has been accused, and also claims, to have been completely under the direct orders of the United States CIA during this period of the coup and opportunistic military takeover. The coup created an extensive emigration of Haitian refugees to the United States. Aristide has accused the United States of backing the 1991 coup, but like many world powers that are responsible for Haiti’s misfortune, this is not a commonly discussed subject. The military regime managed to govern Haiti until 1993. ======

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September 1994, the U.S. troops were prepared to enter Haiti by force for “ Operation Uphold Democracy  .” President Bill Clinton then sent a negotiating squad to persuade the authorities to step aside and consent for the return of legal, constitutional rule rather than the militaristic dictatorship. Cédras with his other leaders agreed to step down because they were aware that US intervening forces were already prepared to step in and dismantle their reign. In October, Aristide was able to return to Haiti and reclaim his position as democratically elected President after another set of elections. Aristide did have a sweeping victory in the elections but it only lasted one term and following the end of his term Haiti was able to successfully transition into a new democratically elected president for the first time. ======

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 21px;"> <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"> //Biography of Jean Bertrand Aristide// [|http://www.notablebiographies.com/An-Ba/Aristide-Jean-Bertrand.html__]
 * Bibliography**:

Aristide is presented in a heroic way in this website, the claim him to be a man loved by his people and nation. This runs through his life and talks about his troubles he had to look around or overcome.

DeRienzo, Paul. //Haiti's Nightmare: The Cocaine Coup and CIA Connection// []

This site was by far the most extensive one on the coup itself and the events leading up to it. This manages to portray everyone involved in a murky shadow. It goes into the CIA connection to this, the massive drug trafficking, and more dark sides to US Haitian relations during this time.

//History Commons// [|http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=the_2004_removal_of_jean-bertrand_aristide_550]

This website is a great concise timeline of the events in Haiti from 1991 to 2004. This seems to show some pity for what Haiti has been forced to deal with for decades and thus makes most other nations look aggressive or just malevolent.

[] This picture shows Aristide during his presidency posing for a picture before the flag.

[] This picture shows the most popular drug that was being trafficked through Haiti. It also provided information to the quantity that would travel in each shipment.

//International Committee of the Fourth International// __[]__

This site casts a powerful message and puts the US intelligence in poor regard as it claims the US-made coup killed thousands and the country will never be able to live this down. This really goes well into the history of this coup.

Rossier, Nicholas. //Aristide and the Endless Revolution//. []

This recaps Jean Bertrand Aristide's life in a quaint biography but works to aid sympathy toward this man who led a troubled nation.

Selsky, O Andrew. //Associated Press// []

This website informs the reader on Jean Aristide's stance concerning Haiti today. This portrays him in a good light and reflects on what he has tried to do for his former country.

[|www.life.com/image/56769033] This picture provides information about the overwhelming support that Aristide received once being elected into office. It helps with the understanding why some Haitian citizens were alarmed because such a great amount of violent supporters could lead to catastrophe.

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This video shows Jean-Bertrand Aristide in South Africa after the recent Haiti earthquakes. This portrays him as a caring leader who only wants to return to his home country to aid in the relief effort.