Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide remains an enigmatic and controversial figure both in Haiti and in the outside world. In this definitive study of the international crisis caused by Aristide's overthrow by the Haitian military on September 30, 1991, Roland Perusse analyzes and critiques the events that led up to the military coup as well as the aftershocks of that action. Beginning with a biographical sketch of Aristide and his rise to power, Perusse details the major events during the first eight months of his presidency and factors that led up to his overthrow. He then focuses on early attempts to restore Aristide to power by the Organization of American States, the impediments to that goal resulting from both U.S. and OAS policy, the United Nations involvement in the issue, and the problems caused by the outpouring of refugees and ineffective embargos. Perusse also describes the Carter mission to Haiti which successfully negotiated the departure of the three principal Haitian military leaders and arranged for a peaceful rather than hostile entry of U.S. military forces in a U.N.-sanctioned intervention. Co-published with the Inter American Institute.
