Customer Reviews

Damming the Flood: Haiti, Aristide, and the Politics of Containment

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I read a lot of books on Haiti, this is the best one I have seen on Haiti's history between 1990 and 2005. Well-written and researched, with strong analysis. It is important for anyone interested in understanding Haiti today, but it is equally important for understanding current U.S. foreign policy. The excellent explanation of how the U.S. undermined and overthrew Haiti's democracy in 2004 applies to similar U.S. efforts in Venezuela over the last 8 years, and current efforts to undermine democracy in Bolivia.

This is the finest political study I've read in years. Hallward presents an impressively insightful and revelatory examination of Haiti's grassroots democracy movement (mid 1980s-present), plus an expose of the numerous malicious forces fighting to prevent democracy and human rights in Haiti (e.g. powerful Haitian wealthy sector, Duvalierist holdovers, and the US State Department). In thoroughly-documented detail, Hallward corrects the fallacious and slanderous reputation that has been heaped upon Jean Bertrand Aristide by his many self-interested opponents. Hallward argues convincingly that JBA was driven from power, not because he was corrupt (as some critics alleged, without providing evidence), but, rather, because JBA's efforts to improve the lives of the Haitian poor presented too great a threat to numerous established interests. Hallward makes a compelling case that JBA's so-called "voluntary resignation" in 2004 can be better understood as forced, blackmailed, via the threat of mass-violence by a band of thugs with ties to the Haitian elite and the US State Department. Hallward provides evidence that, contrary to popular perceptions, JBA's Lavalas party governed responsibly and with great respect for human rights, whereas their opponents were guilty of human rights abuses on a massive scale. Though Hallward's tone is measured and credible, the book has a great moral clarity and shows that the US has abetted in a large-scale violation of human rights in Haiti. I enthusiastically recommend this book for those interested in modern Haitian history, and/or grassroots democracy movements, US foreign policy and neo-colonialism.

No foreign policy issue is more distorted in the corporate media than Haiti, with the exception of Isreal/Palestine. Peter Hallward has written a marvelous book with a politically engaged perspective. His account of the years leading up to the U.S. kidnapping of Aristide in 2004 is an invaluable corrective to the demonization of Aristide and Lavalas. The story of Haiti, as told by Hallward, gives the reader insight into the lengths the U.S. government will go to repress popular movements that seek to redistribute wealth. Most Americans cannot comprehend the level of repression the U.S. can bring to bear on a small country like Haiti. For further evidence see the diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks and published in The Nation magazine. This book receives the highest praise from Chomsky, Zizek, and Dr. Paul Farmer. You shouldn't need any further proof that is is a must read.

This is an important book for understanding the negative influences of international forces in Haiti, but the author's insistence on Aristide's position as an innocent victim and a leader of a unified opposition movement presents too simplified a picture of the current political situation in Haiti.

I purchased this book hoping to gain an understanding of the present state of Haitian government and to understand what caused the fall of Aristide. It is true that he still has many supporters in Haiti. I was hoping for a history but instead acquired a political diatribe. Hallward's thesis seems to be that forces on both the right and the left in American politics, the French, and the NGOs (as instruments of US government policy and as a source of power for the Haitian elite outside of government) all favored Aristides ouster and conspired over the course of years to make that happen. The motive attributed to all these groups is the same - Aristide challenged the power of the Haitian elite and the property rights of both Haitians and outside companies. Whereas there may be a kernel of truth in this I find incredible that all of these organization could agree on anything (especially the Amercian right AND left). Given my problems with this condition of the thesis, I have problems believing his other arguments. Could it be that Aristide was just a lousy administrator?

Hallward tends to assign evil motives to all organizations that opposed Aristide, usually greedy self interest. This also includes church based NGOs. His analysis of the effects of NGOs on Haiti may have some truth but I don't think he knows or cannot understand the motives. He tends to use a lot inflammatory rhetoric to describe this that smacks of the language of Communist Propaganda.

I am still looking for a clear headed analysis of Haitian history. I would only recommend buying this book only if your politics is extremely to the left leaning towards socialism and communism and the language that supports that mindset does not put you off.