The Crisis in Haiti

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
SENATE
THE CRISIS IN HAITI

Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the lamentable situation in Haiti. After suffering political upheaval and widespread violence over the last few months, the Haitian people are now facing even more desperate circumstances.

During the last 2 weeks of May, floods devastated major sections of Haiti and parts of the Dominican Republic. The death toll in Haiti has reached nearly 2,600 people not including the missing and medical personnel expect that number to climb higher as the waters recede and reclamation efforts become possible.

In the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe, aid workers, Haitian officials, and foreign troops-including U.S. soldiers scrambled to prevent the crisis from worsening. They have been delivering emergency supplies of food and water, building temporary housing, and working to prevent the spread of disease.

I am concerned, however, by reports that the efforts are sorely under-funded and risk being overwhelmed by the sheer size of the disaster. Doctors are struggling to combat outbreaks of malaria and dengue, and the New York Times reports that aid workers were using mules for transportation, since the U.S. military is no longer airlifting aid to isolated communities. The U.S. Agency for International Development has pledged $50,000 in emergency aid, but we ought to do much more.

I wish I could say that the devastation was solely an act of nature, but it was not. Had these same rains fallen over Florida, the damage would have been much less severe and the death toll would be in the single digits instead of the thousands.

As my esteemed colleague from Ohio, Senator DeWine, described in his statement on June 1st, Haiti's economic underdevelopment exacerbated the effects of the flooding. Widespread deforestation of hillsides meant that, when the rains came, there was nothing to hold the soil in place. The subsequent landslides devastated many of the villages. And without roads and emergency services, there was no way to evacuate the Haitians who were caught in the path of the floods.

Yet the devastation is not over. For the tens of thousands of Haitians who were left homeless, whose crops were destroyed, and whose communities were razed by the floodwaters, the next few months will be a struggle between life and death.

It pains me to say that the floods are only the most recent setback for a country already struggling to overcome economic and social crises. Haiti, by most measures, is the poorest country in the hemisphere with nearly 80 percent of its population living in abject poverty. The life expectancy has fallen to 52 years and more than 6 percent of Haitians are infected with the HIV virus.

In recent years Haiti has become a major trans-shipment point for cocaine trafficking. The State Department, in its annual Narcotics Control Strategy Report, describes Haiti as, "a key conduit for drug traffickers transporting cocaine from South America to the United States." Sadly, more than half of all Haitians are unable to participate in the formal economy, and, as a consequence, many of these people turn to the illegal drug trade as a source of income.

This influx of drug money into Haiti has further eroded the rule-of-law. Corruption now seems endemic in even the highest levels of government and private enterprise.

Not all the news from Haiti is bad, however. Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with Prime Minister [Gerard] Latortue while he was visiting Washington. I was impressed by his vision for Haiti, and encouraged by the efforts he has made since his appointment to stabilize the country. During our meeting, Prime Minister Latortue emphasized the need for major improvements in infrastructure, particularly in the power sector. He also stressed to me the urgent need for capacity-building amongst government institutions which cannot carry out their responsibilities without the trained personnel and resources to do so.

Unfortunately the Bush Administration has been extremely slow to respond to Prime Minister Latortue's requests for aid. President Aristide was deposed in late February, but it wasn't until late May-nearly 3 months later-that the Administration finally cobbled together a $160 million aid package for Haiti-$60 million of which was already in the pipeline before the February departure of President Aristide. I'm afraid that the amount they have allotted, about $20 per Haitian, is too little, too late.

This lukewarm response only continues a trend in the Bush administration's policy toward Haiti. Since 2000, the U.S. Government has taken a shameful, hands-off approach to Haiti, turning its back on a growing crisis. After the Bush administration facilitated President Aristide's removal, citing his incompetence as the justification for supporting the involuntary departure of an elected president, one would have hoped that there was some sense of obligation on the part of the administration to do right by the Haitian people. Sadly, that sense of obligation is minimal at best, even in the face of the natural disaster that has recently befallen the Haitian people.

So what should the U.S. response be to the political, economic, and social crises in Haiti? Should we continue the hands-off approach of the Bush administration? Or, should we offer Haiti a hand up? I believe that we have a special obligation to help Haiti, and I'm offering three proposals for how we can do that.

First, we should halt the removal of the 1,900 U.S. troops currently stationed in Haiti. Prime Minister Latortue has asked that we extend the U.S. military presence, fearing that U.S. troops are the only ones capable of dissuading further violence. The original decision to depart upon the arrival of the Brazilian-led UN Peacekeeping force was made before last month's flooding-and before the destabilizing effects of the current humanitarian crisis.

Let me take a moment here to talk about the security situation. Many have speculated about the re-establishment of the Haitian Army. Because this is ultimately a question for the Haitian people to answer-especially in light of the Haitian Army's history of abuses-I believe that the decision should be left for the next elected government to address. Given the scarcity of resources and the absence of a specific national security mission, I for one believe that reestablishing the army is a luxury that Haiti can ill afford. In any event, the current caretaker government should concern itself with establishing domestic stability and security, preparing for elections, and, most critical of all, working to end the current humanitarian crisis.

The Bush administration can help the LaTortue government move forward with its stated agenda by working with the international community and the Haitian National Police to establish the rule of law. Clearly reestablishing security requires that we step up efforts to disarm all the various illegal armed groups. So far less than 200 arms have been rounded up. And the focus seems to be solely on Aristide supporters, not the armed thugs who have perpetrated a reign of terror throughout the countryside for the last nine months.

Next, in accordance with the resolution agreed upon by the Organization of American States, we must undertake to foster full restoration of democracy in Haiti. Our first obligation is to get to the bottom of allegations that the United States participated in the ouster of President Aristide. The OAS has just begun an investigation into the matter, and we should cooperate fully to dispel any myths or redress any errors.

My last proposal is for a $1 billion emergency aid package for Haiti over the next 4 years. If we are willing to devote hundreds of billions of dollars for the endeavors in Afghanistan and Iraq-half a world away-doesn't it make sense for us to devote a fraction of that amount to assist one of our nearest and most impoverished neighbors? Announcing a multiyear aid package, we demonstrate our commitment to the Haitian people and also serve as an example for others in the international community to offer up multiyear assistance packages as well. As UN Secretary General Kofi Annan stated in March, getting it right in Haiti this time, "means keeping international attention and resources engaged for the long haul."

It is long past time for the United States to address the mounting crisis in Haiti. It is time for us to offer the Haitian people a hand up. Toward that end, I believe that this body should give serious consideration to making a down payment on the $1 billion aid proposal for Haiti in the FY 2005 Appropriations process when the Senate deals with this legislation. Only through concrete and meaningful U.S. assistance on a scale commensurate with Haiti's needs can we ever hope to reverse the misery, suffering, and hopelessness that have become commonplace in the lives of close neighbors-8 million of them.