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Turbulant History of the Troubled Island of Haiti Essay

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Introduction
In September of 1994, elements of the XVIII Airborne Corps, 10th Mountain Division (Light), Special Operations Forces (SOF), and 25th Infantry Division, were organized into a U.S.-led Multi-National Force (MNF). These forces were assembled and deployed in support of Operation Uphold Democracy in the Republic of Haiti to reinstate ousted President Jean Bertrand Aristide and return the country to a democratic state. We will go over a brief portion of the very turbulent history that has brought these forces to this troubled island. We will continue into a little of the planning and the difficulties they faced in a constantly changing environment, even a little of who it involved. The next item of business will be moving into …show more content…

President Aristide took office in January of 1991 and was ousted in September of the same year by his hand-picked, chief of staff of the army Lieutenant General Raoul Cedras and forced to flee the country. International outrage, fueled in large part by the well-publicized flotilla of "boat people" bound for Florida¸ put Haiti abruptly in the international spotlight.3 These events set the stage for U.S. involvement in the Haitian crisis. In 1993, the United Nations (UN) attempted to negotiate for a peaceful resolution with Gen. Cedras, which proved unsuccessful. Gen. Cedras would agree to different stipulations, to include stepping down to get the embargo lifted, and each time he would fail to honor his end. In one such incident, with few rounds fired, thugs in his employ forcibly prevented an American ship, the USS Harlan County, from off-loading UN troops intended to retrain the Haitian Army and police force.4 The UN reestablished the embargo, a naval blockade and passed UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 940, authorizing the "application of all necessary means to restore democracy in Haiti".5 This set the planning assets in motion for forcible entry into Haiti.

Planning and Preparation In January 1994, the deadline for Lieutenant General Cedras to step down passed. He did not relinquish power and international pressure increased for stronger sanctions on Haiti.

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