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Geopolitics

Protests In Haiti As President Reestablishes National Army

A select group of recruits preparing for a parade in Cap-Haïtien
A select group of recruits preparing for a parade in Cap-Haïtien
Giacomo Tognini

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haiti's national army was abolished 22 years ago after a disastrous period of military rule ended in a U.S.-led intervention that restored democracy in the Caribbean country. Now, recently elected President Jovenel Moïse is launching a new recruitment drive and re-establishing an institution that's still widely unpopular, as evidenced by protests in the capital, leading Haitian daily Le Nouvelliste reports. The government is moving ahead with the plans regardless.

President Moïse announced Nov. 16 that he would appoint interim commanders for a newly constituted Haitian armed forces. The next day he appointed former army colonel Jodel Lesage as acting commander-in-chief pending approval in the Haitian Senate, entrusting him with the task of recruiting and building the new Haitian military.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Port-au-Prince before the announcement, demonstrating against corruption and the proposed army. "We don't want an army in Haiti," protester Jean-Robert Sanon told Le Nouvelliste. "The Haitian army is known for repressing democracy in Haiti, we don't want to return to this dark past."

Once glorified for its role in the 1803 Haitian revolution that expelled French colonists and ended slavery, the Haitian army launched dozens of coups after independence and ruled the country with an iron fist for almost a decade after 1986. After its demobilization in 1995 by the newly elected democratic government, its responsibilities for internal security were passed to the national police.

Moïse campaigned on resurrecting the army in last year's presidential election. His predecessor, Michel Martelly, repeatedly promised the same. The government claims the new armed forces will be dedicated to military training, medical services and aviation. But critics are skeptical, wondering why the administration is spending money on defense when Haiti remains one of the poorest countries in the world.


The new military chiefs and a select group of recruits were paraded at a ceremony in the northern city of Cap-Haïtien, which has been roiled by protests organized by local students. Schools in the city have been lacking teachers for weeks due to a pay dispute with the education ministry. The students vowed to protest and demand further spending on education at the parade, but their voices have yet to be heeded.

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Geopolitics

Why The World Still Needs U.S. Leadership — With An Assist From China

Twenty years of costly interventions and China's economic ascent have robbed the United States of its global supremacy. It is time for the two biggest powers to work together, to help the world.

Photograph of Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden walking side by side in the Filoli Estate in the U.S. state of California​

Nov. 15, 2023: Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden take a walk after their talks in the Filoli Estate in the U.S. state of California

Xinhua/ZUMA
María Ángela Holguín*

-Analysis-

BOGOTÁ — The United States is facing a complex moment in its history, as it loses its privileged place in the world. Since the Second World War, it has been the world's preeminent power in economic and political terms, helping rebuild Europe after the war and through its growing economy, aiding the development of a significant part of the world.

For the latest news & views from every corner of the world, Worldcrunch Today is the only truly international newsletter. Sign up here.

Its model of democracy, long considered exemplary around the world, has gone through a rough patch, thanks to excessive polarization and discord. This has cost it a good deal of its leadership, unity and authority.

How much authority does it have to chide certain countries on democracy, as it does, after such outlandish incidents as the assault on Congress in January 2021? The fights we have seen over electing a new speaker of the House of Representatives or backing the administration's foreign policy are simply incredible.

In Ukraine's case, President Biden failed to win support for the aid package for which he was hoping, even if there is a general understanding that if Russia wins this war, Europe's stability would be at risk. It would mean the victory of a longstanding enemy.

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