Bill Sykes' Newsletter
from America.
(March 2004)
An ex-Brit gives his views-(without fear
or favor)---of the American Scene
Last word:
A week or so ago, civil war broke out in Haiti
and the rebels demanded the removal of President Aristide
and his corrupt government from this territory. The people
of Haiti, (who share the island with the Dominican Republic),
have been subjected to political abuse and corruption
which has forced the population into abject poverty.
Background information as to Haitian politics:
 Francois
Duvalier, known as, ("Papa Doc" Duvalier), was
elected in 1957 as the president of Haiti for a six-year
term. At the end of that term in 1964 he declared himself
President for life and ran a brutal regime which was reported
to have been responsible for conducted mass executions
of the Haitian population.
After the death of President Francois Duvalier, his son
Jean Claude Duvalier took over the Presidency and eventually
fled the country in 1986 and settled in France.
 Jean-Bertrand
Aristide became President of the Independent Republic
of Haiti in 1984 and in September of 1991 his corrupt
government was overthrown in a military coup led by Lieutenant-General
Cedras and Aristide went into a three-year exile in the
United States. Aristide was returned to power in September
1994 when an American force of twenty thousand troops
invaded Haiti and placed him back in power as the President
of Haiti.
Could this be classified as another foreign policy blunder
made by the American political machine?
Wouldn’t it be a terrible shock to American prestige
if President Fidel Castro decided to send Cuban troops
over to Haiti to annex that portion of the island as a
protectorate of Cuba.
Some background information on past relationships between
the United States and Cuba:
 The
first thing that comes to mind is the Bay of Pigs fiasco
in 1961 where American supported Cuban exiles, living
in Florida, attempted to invade Cuba and overthrow the
Cuban Government of Fidel Castro. Then there was the Kennedy/Khrushchev
Cuban missile crisis which brought the United States and
Russia to the brink of nuclear war, until the situation
was finally resolved in 1962 when Khrushchev backed down
and removed the Russian missiles from Cuba. This was a
particularly disturbing incident, which was far too close
for comfort,
Disclaimer:
Much of the information gathered for this news
letter is gleaned from American and International media
sources, (including the Internet), and as such is quoted
as accurately as possible. I try to obtain confirmation
on each subject from several outlets, so the text is a
mixture of composite news items and personal comments
and therefore the reader must make his/her own judgement
as to the reliability and degree of accuracy of the subjects
discussed.
Eric (Bill) Sykes. (California).
We welcome feedback about any of the contents of these
newsletters. Please send all correspondence to bill_sykes@huddersfield1.co.uk
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