[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 95 (Wednesday, July 20, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
               UNITED STATES FOREIGN POLICY TOWARD HAITI

                                 ______


                            HON. DAVID MINGE

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 20, 1994

  Mr. MINGE. Mr. Speaker, I am troubled by the long-term ramifications 
of our current United States foreign policy toward Haiti. I do not 
believe sending United States troops into Haiti will be any more 
successful in the 1990's than it has been in the past. I am especially 
concerned that the United States may act without the participation of 
our Central and Latin American friends.
  Without question, we must try to help Haiti. Haitians continue to 
flee their beleaguered country on anything buoyant. In terms of wealth 
and living conditions, Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western 
Hemisphere. Human rights violations have increased dramatically under 
the oppressive military junta controlling Haiti. Nevertheless, we 
cannot afford to open our arms to hundreds of thousands of Haitian 
refugees. With a $4\1/2\ trillion debt, our welcome wagon is bankrupt.
  Neither can we afford to send U.S. troops into a dilemma destined for 
disaster. The use of military might without first sharply honing our 
objectives would be setting the military up to fail. Even using a 
special operations force would not work because we would need to 
establish a military presence for months, if not years, after ousting 
the current regime. A quick scan of the history pages should fill us 
with caution: United States military intervention in Haiti has failed 
in the past, and I do not see how this time would be significantly 
different.
  Rather than intervening militarily, we should continue to tighten the 
noose around Haiti's military and its supporters through economic 
sanctions. Sanctions may not bring success as quickly as some people 
would like, but I believe they offer the best hope for helping Haiti. 
While sanctions will affect the Haitian people as well as its leaders, 
the violence that is part of military intervention takes a greater 
toll. We must, however, give sanctions time to work.
  Improving human rights conditions and building an economic foundation 
in the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation will require the toil of 
more than the United States. What logic, after all, dictates that we 
must unilaterally police our hemisphere? Should Saudi Arabia intervene 
in the Yemen/South Yemen conflict? Should Germany alone resolve the 
strife in Bosnia? Should China step in and resolve the conflict between 
the Koreas? I think not. Instead, the United Nations and the nations 
closest to these areas should concentrate on finding solutions. In the 
case of Haiti, we should work with Central and Latin American nations 
as well as the United Nations to nurture a representative government. 
To do otherwise begs history to repeat itself.

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