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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 19-Jan-2011
19-Jan-11 News -- Haiti's former dictator returns for a visit

Web Log - January, 2011

19-Jan-11 News -- Haiti's former dictator returns for a visit

South Korea and U.S. discuss increasing limits on ballistic missiles

Haiti's former dictator returns for a visit

In the midst of discontent and violence resulting from an allegedly rigged election last month, surrounded by the devastation of a major earthquake a year ago, along with a cholera epidemic that's still killing people living in tent camps, former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier dropped from the sky, like a deus ex machina, on Sunday.

Duvalier is the son of Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, who ruled Haiti as dictator from 1957 until his death in 1971. At that point, Jean-Claude took over, where he was responsible for jailing, torturing and murdering thousands of people, according to the Guardian. Finally, he was forced from office in 1986, and he's been living in France ever since.

Duvalier flew into Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, on Sunday, with no advance warning and no explanation for why he was returning, though it's thought that he wants to take advantage of the confusion following the accusations of a rigged election, and perhaps return to power himself. However, he said, "I'm not here for politics. I'm here for the reconstruction of Haiti."

On Tuesday, police went to Duvalier's hotel and took him to court, where he was charged with government corruption, embezzlement of funds, money laundering, and assassination.

These are the same that Duvalier was charged with in 2008, but the case files were lost when the courthouse was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake, according to the Wall Street Journal (Access).

One of Duvalier's lawyers said that the government hadn't been able to reconstruct the legal dossier that was destroyed in the earthquake, and that "They have nothing."

The real danger in Haiti is a new civil war fought along the fault line between the two distinct ethnic groups -- the Creole-speaking dark-skinned "noirs" or blacks, the descendants of slaves imported from Africa by the French colonizers in the 1700s, and the French-speaking light-skinned "mulattoes," resulting from intermixing of French and slave bloods. The mulattoes are a market-dominant minority: under 5% of the population, but controlling over 50% of the nation's wealth.

Haiti is deep into a generational Crisis era, and so a full-scale civil war could begin at any time. This is being held off by the presence of international peacekeeping forces, as well has massive amounts of international food aid.

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Tunisia's government is near collapse again, after four ministers resigned from the one-day old "unity government." Thousands of people protested in Tunis, and the protests have gotten more violent. Protesters said, "The dictator is gone, but the dictatorship is still here," referring to the fact that many people in the unity government were part of the old administration. VOA

South Korea has been operating under a treaty with the U.S. that limits the range and power of South Korea's ballistic missiles. The limitations were put in place in 1979 to prevent an arms race between South and North Korea. However, North Korea's capability already fax exceed the maximum permitted in the South, and so talks are on to discuss revising the 1979 agreement. Chosun Ilbo

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 19-Jan-11 News -- Haiti's former dictator returns for a visit thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (19-Jan-2011) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 19-Jan-2011 19-Jan-11 News -- Haiti's former dictator returns for a visit

Haiti's former dictator returns for a visit

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 19-Jan-2011
19-Jan-11 News -- Haiti's former dictator returns for a visit