Paramilitarism and the Assault on Democracy in Haiti

This document was uploaded by one of our users. The uploader already confirmed that they had the permission to publish it. If you are author/publisher or own the copyright of this documents, please report to us by using this DMCA report form.

Simply click on the Download Book button.

Yes, Book downloads on Ebookily are 100% Free.

Sometimes the book is free on Amazon As well, so go ahead and hit "Search on Amazon"

In this path-breaking book, Jeb Sprague investigates the dangerous world of right-wing paramilitarism in Haiti and its role in undermining the democratic aspirations of the Haitian people. Sprague focuses on the period beginning in 1990 with the rise of Haiti’s first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and the right-wing movements that succeeded in driving him from power. Over the ensuing two decades, paramilitary violence was largely directed against the poor and supporters of Aristide’s Lavalas movement, taking the lives of thousands of Haitians. Sprague seeks to understand how this occurred, and traces connections between paramilitaries and their elite financial and political backers, in Haiti but also in the United States and the Dominican Republic. The product of years of original research, this book draws on over fifty interviews—some of which placed the author in severe danger—and more than 11,000 documents secured through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. It makes a substantial contribution to our understanding of Haiti today, and is a vivid reminder of how democratic struggles in poor countries are often met with extreme violence organized at the behest of capital. Photos related to the book can be found here: https://jebsprague.blogspot.com/2013/01/paramilitarism-in-haiti-photo-montage.html

Author(s): Jeb Sprague
Publisher: Monthly Review Press
Year: 2012

Language: English
City: New York City
Tags: Haiti, Marxism, geopolitics, violence, Aristide, Duvalier, imperialism, neo-colonialism, neocolonialism, anti-imperialism, democratic rights, democracy, political violence, class struggle, coup, western-backed coups, socialism, communism, US imperialism

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
1. A History of Political Violence against the Poor
2. Popular Democracy and Attempts to Turn It Back, 1990–2000
3. The Return of Paramilitarism, 2000–2001
4. The Initial Attacks on the Aristide Presidency, 2001
5. War of Attrition, 2002–2004
6. The “Uprising” of January and February, 2004
7. The Post-Coup Period, 2004–2005, and Beyond
8. Conclusion: Unending Social Conflict
APPENDIX: LITERATURE AND MEDIA REVIEW
NOTES
INDEX