In typical pre-election fashion, John Kerry used the crisis in Haiti as a political ploy last week, criticizing the Bush administration for its lack of assistance to former leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide. In classic if-I-were-in-his-shoes manner, Kerry admonished the president and declared boldly, "I would not have allowed it to arrive at where it was."
Kerry's comments reflect the customary righteousness of politicians hoping to woo the public. But one can hope, as many critics have pointed out, that Kerry's direct challenge to President Bush on the foreign policy front signals an importance being placed on this issue in the upcoming election.
The mainstream news media has lately been fond of saying things like "Americans have not had a serious debate over foreign policy since the '80s" or "It's time to engage in a serious national discussion on foreign policy."
They are probably right (which is ironic since the media are the ones who provide the news coverage), but what's more important is for Americans to realize why paying attention to what goes on beyond our borders is worth our time.
Case in point -- the recent troubles in Haiti -- give us a glimpse into all the reasons why foreign policy is complicated yet even more consequential. There are some critical lessons we can learn from what is happening in Haiti right now.
First, there is no absolute good and evil. Regardless of what our current president thinks, the world does not work in such cookie-cutter models, and entire nations or groups of people ought not to be categorized into such broad terms. Jean-Bertrand Aristide, for example, was initially placed into power by a U.S.-led military coup in 1994 to get rid of the brutal regime in power at the time.
While Aristide was once a deeply respected leader and Franciscan priest, since he has come to power he has hired a mob of personal thugs to rule by force, dismantled the national army to limit opposition and rigged the most recent (2000) elections to guarantee his victory. This kind of corruption clearly signals that maybe Aristide isn't the man to lead Haiti out of its 200-year-long cycle of violence and poverty.
The Clinton administration once supported Aristide, but times have changed, and current Secretary of State Colin Powell wisely elected to support the French proposal recommending his resignation. Making such foreign policy decisions requires dynamic thinking with regard to numerous variables that cannot be easily labeled.
Second, our actions can have profound consequences. Haiti is a former French colony that was once very wealthy due to its sugarcane crop. It also has a very proud history: Toussaint L'ouverture founded Haiti by leading a slave revolt against colonialists to create the very first independent black republic.
But Haiti's recent troubles show the problems that occur when post-colonial nations try to democratize. If the Bush administration is serious about its policy of spreading democracy, it needs to pay attention to similar tensions that are no doubt likely to occur in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq in coming years.
Whether we like it or not, as the world's lone superpower, the United States has a hegemonic responsibility to ensure that other nations are provided the best opportunity to also succeed economically and politically.
Why? Because, finally, if nothing else, we should care about other countries because it critically affects our well-being. Though it seems as though the violence in Haiti has temporarily decreased, it is highly likely that unless we help them find a permanent solution, thousands more Haitian refugees will show up at the coast of Florida or in Guantanamo Bay. Moreover, ensuring a stable government today prevents countless numbers of humanitarian efforts and military interventions in the future.
We should pay attention to the future of those in Haiti -- if not purely for humanity then just pragmatically for our own self-interest. Hopefully, foreign affairs will become a more important part of American lives in years to come.
Ishtiaque Masud is an economics junior. Reach him at ishtiaque.masud@asu.edu.
