In December 1990 the people of Haiti elected Jean-Bertrand Aristide as president. Shortly thereafter violence erupted, leading to a military coup on September 30, 1991. As a result of the coup, Aristide fled to the United States. On June 16, 1993, the United Nations (UN) Security Council imposed an embargo on all petroleum and arms sales to Haiti. When trade sanctions failed to force reform in Haiti, the UN sent a contingent of 1,267 soldiers in late 1993, but when rioting and violence broke out, the UN troops withdrew from the island. Over the next several months, the situation worsened. On July 31, 1994, the UN Security Council authorized the use of force to restore Aristide to power. Under this mandate, U. S. Army forces were mobilized by President William J. Clinton on September 13, 1994, for deployment to Haiti. Shortly thereafter, former president James Earl Carter, Jr., Senator Sam Nunn, and General Colin L. Powell went to Haiti and successfully negotiated the resignation and departure of the top military leaders from Haiti. On September 19, 1994, U. S. forces landed at the Haitian capitol of Port-au-Prince without resistance. Violence erupted on September 24 between a U. S. Marine patrol and Haitian forces, during which 10 Haitians were killed. Afterward the local military and police faded from sight. On October 15, 1994, Aristide arrived back in Haiti to resume his responsibilities as president. As he gained in power, Aristide repressed political opposition, thereby thwarting hopes of a democratic and prosperous Haiti.
See also loreign policy; globalization; Latin America; Nicaragua (U. S. relations with).
—Leah Blakey
World History
