I just got back from a demonstration outside a swanky downtown hotel. Inside, officials from Canada & Haiti were deciding the 'democratic' future of Haiti. This, after deposing the elected president of Haiti in an armed coup, complete with U.S. Marines. Canada's kinder, gentler imperialism includes funding NGOs and the police, both of which are working to subdue the growing opposition to the interim Haitian government - a government led by figures from the previous regime, noted for their ruthlessness in crushing democratic movements.


Pro-Aristide demonstrator

There's all this fascinating, disturbing background - how a lot of French-speaking NGOs support the coup, because they're tied to the French-speaking elite in Haiti, while the poor speak Creole. And how LAVALAS, the leftist party until recently in government, has some unsavory connections itself. But, as Chomsky points out, if every government hiding corruption was to be deposed, the one with the longest trail of paper & blood to hide is the U.S. And no one's deposing it. Corruption justifies democratic renewal, not imperialist intervention (and yes, those two things are diametrically opposed.)

Check out the Haiti Action Committee for more info. This doesn't have the profile of Iraq or Venezuela, but it's just as important.