Haiti was once a colony of France, which left behind a legacy of dependency and corruption. Haiti was once occupied and administered by the US Marine Corps, which left behind a system of roads, infrastructure and vocational education. So I suppose there was bound to be some friction as the two countries reprise their roles, but this, I think, is going rather too far:
The French minister in charge of humanitarian relief called on the UN to “clarify” the American role amid claims the military build up was hampering aid efforts.
Alain Joyandet admitted he had been involved in a scuffle with a US commander in the airport’s control tower over the flight plan for a French evacuation flight.
“This is about helping Haiti, not about occupying Haiti,” Mr Joyandet said.
Geneva-based charity Medecins Sans Frontieres backed his calls saying hundreds of lives were being put at risk as planes carrying vital medical supplies were being turned away by American air traffic controllers.
At issue seems to be the US preference for systematically deploying forces to generate more effective aid distribution while providing enhanced security versus a well meant desire to get something – anything – done, immediately.
Hopefully, calmer heads will prevail, all the way around. It’s important to get aid flowing now, and it’s equally important to get aid flowing smoothly – the two goals are not incompatible, but they will require the teaming effort of all partners. Not fighting words.
Timed, phased, forces deployment? Why would you want that?!
I have quoted no less that twenty five humanitarian relief flights to Port au Prince and or Santo Domingo in the last 48 hours. Most of the origins have been places like Ostende, Zurich, Vatry, Bordeaux, Geneva, Las Palmas, Dubai, Newquay, Oslo, etc. Just this morning, NAS Jacksonville asked for a quote to move 180,000 lbs or MRE’s and bottled water. The already built pallets are contoured for C-17 or B747 (in inches 108 x 88 x 90) and do not fit as built on our DC8′s. I offered to fly nose to tail relief flights today if NAS Jacksonville could re-contour to our cabin height. The Chief is working on it and will advise shortly. We are also looking at stopping in Gitmo for fuel if we can. There is no fuel available in PAP that anyone on the gorund will certify as uncontaminated and no air start unit so we have to leave an engine running (last time it was six hours). Also have been advised not to expect to get our pallets back….it is way to busy to unload, break down the pallets and then return them to the aircraft. When we objected, the airport manager and an armed guard, told us to leave immediately, threat intended.
Ahh, to again be lectured by the French on arrogance.
Heard a good one yesterday. Haiti is Creole for Katrina.
You expected anything different?
Merci to our Frog friends for their eagerness to help.
However, since we are bearing the major burden of this whole evolution, and will be stuck with the ongoing costs for a few decades, we get to make the rules. Our military guys have far more experience with logistics and expeditionary operations, and we should support their judgment.
If Obama wants to put the State Department in charge, then let them hold meetings, send letters and pacify the bruised egos of our “friends” while Haitians die from lack of supplies of all kinds. Just don’t blame the military if the wussy diplomats screw everything up.
Last I heard they were still unable to do whatever paperwork drills were deemed necessary to get over 100 Haitian orphans ALREADY ADOPTED BY AMERICAN FAMILIES cleared to leave the country. Meanwhile, the Dutch simply told their folks to grab a huge number of orphans in dire straits and put them on a plane headed out.
All those complaining about the US involvement in Haiti are only diverting attention from their own ineptitude.
The UN and the EU are still holding meetings to decide what should be done in the immediate hours after the quake…
We are always first on the ground for these kinds of international disasters – it seems that it is expected. Yet we aren’t allowed to call the shots when we are the only ones putting up the time, manpower and money.
The french can suck it.
I will give you being first on the ground.
I will give you being the biggest contributor of aid.
And I will even give you the French being asshats on occasion.
I know you’re speaking a bit of hyperbole, Kris, but the only ones?
It makes me cringe, it does.
OK, we are putting up the majority of the money, manpower and time.
And please don’t tell me it’s because we are bigger than everyone else. Americans are always the ones the rest of the world expects to clean up the messes. And while it makes me very proud to say that I live in such a country – it also royally pisses me off when folks like the French, with very little skin in the game, take that kind of stand.
Ya know, it is garbage like this that makes me want to say “A pox on it all! Since all the world hates us, and we are the most EEEEE-vvvviiilllest country ever to exist, we should just bring all our people home from everywhere. Close all our bases and embassies, stop all foreign aid. Go stand in the corner like the naughty child we are. France and Germany and Russia and China and Saudi Arabia are SO much better, more tolerant and charitable, they should be the ones dealing with everything, not the EEEEEE-vvvviiillll United States.”
And wait to see how long before we get the screams of “You can’t DO that! Our local economy will collapse without your bases and aid!” or “But…but…but…we didn’t really MEAN what we said! Please, stay and keep us safe from (pick an enemy).”
+ 1 million
Isolation would be fine and dandy but for the fact that we are not energy independent and therefore must play nice with others no matter how they show their asses. The French are, um French. Great wine, art, culture etc. but unreliable. Michelle’s point is certainly valid – our northern cousins (literally in my case) have always been in the pitch. Back in WWII they recognized the Nazi threat and had skin in the game long before Japan pulled us in.
As far as planes being turned away, if it did happen I’m sure it was for a far better reason than the flag on their tail! No room on the ramp maybe?
Seriously? WHO, in their right mind, would want to occupy Haiti? I’m with Kris ~ the French can suck it.
Let the froggies send their carrier, their marines, and their francs and we’ll be glad to share the road. Sounds like he who owns the control tower gets to make the rules. The whole thing is a sucking hole of dollars, and not even Bill Clinton waxing eloquent about Haiti’s financial future can change the fact that it is a failed nation. We’ve just inherited another California which will require billions of your tax dollars to re-build, all to end up like a NYC housing project.
http://digitaljournal.com/article/285816
good article about how Haiti has overshot its carrying capacity.
CBS had a story on last night that contrasted the US vs UN response. Me, I prefer the US method. If we’re invading we’re doing it without helmets or loaded guns compared to the UN. Funny for all the French complaining, they’ve never offered up their combat air controllers to take over the airport operations.
Ah. Once again, continental penis envy rears it’s smallish head.
I believe the USMC has mostly succeeded at everything they’ve ever attempted, except fixing Haiti. Nobody can fix Haiti.
They wouldn’t let us stay long enough. But it worked a hell of a lot better with Hanneken calling the shots than any time since.
[...] Mudville Gazette, Fausta’s Blog, Neptunus Lex, and The Jawa [...]
“I’d rather have a German division in front of me than a French regiment behind me.”
I am on the verge of tears at Mr. Joyandet being in a pique because he and his French colleagues can’t atone for their past sins against Haiti quickly enough.
Oh, wait … this just in from Agency France Presse: “President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday praised the “essential role” the U.S. is playing in helping Haiti recover – scrambling to overcome comments by one of his ministers who compared Washington’s aid efforts to a new occupation of the impoverished nation”.
Perhaps Mr. Joyandet should polish his resume. I hear Bora Bora is lovely thus time of year….
Bora Bora is lovely ANY time of the year. As long as you have the scratch. One of the most astonishingly expensive places I’ve ever been. It would be one thing if the service matched the squeeze. The unfortunate confluence of Polynesian work ethic, and French labor laws.
Yet another place the Frogs screwed up.
Just so long as Mr. Joyandet stays teh He!! out of Huahine…
Mojo
Being half Irish and half French from Canada, I can very well understand what you mea. Don’t forget that the French army has never defeated an army with soldiers wearing shoes…
Not to alter the discussion, but has anyone else looked at pre and post quake sat photos of the airport? I recall the AF saying there was only space for 3-4 large aircraft on the ramp. The sat photos show a bit more space with a lame duck 727 still not pushed off into the grass. Any one with some expertise want to chime in?
Oh boy, Hugo weighs in too: http://www.stabroeknews.com/2010/regional/01/19/chavez-says-us-occupying-haiti-in-name-of-aid/
Tell me again why we even bother any more.
Frak the frogs.
So one clueless Frenchman gets his knickers in a bunch… says something really stupid and this commentariat… Lex Babes included… pile on and trash a whole country and people with crotch level vituperative railings…most unseemely indeed…that said it did make for great end of day entertainment. Many thanks you all. Best
PS, Fingers still crossed…be strong our deliverance is at hand.
I think Bret Stephens has some things to say in todays WSJ about fixing Haiti:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704541004575010860014031260.html
[...] You might be surprised (or not) to learn the UN peacekeepers are the bad cop. No points for guessing who the good cop is. (From commenter JKB at Neptunus Lex.) [...]
Wow – some people around here have gotten a little thin-skinned. We all know what we mean here…
[...] Whoever owns the control tower, owns the airfield. Apparently the US forces are inflicting control over the chaos and refusing to let the airlift follow the same path. Three lessons here: [...]
“This is all about helping Haiti, not about occupying Haiti”
Lets see:
http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/minustah/facts.shtml
Current strength (30 November 2009)
* 9,065 total uniformed personnel
o 7,031 troops
o 2,034 police
* 488 international civilian personnel
* 1,212 local civilian staff
* 214 United Nations Volunteers
Nearly 10,000 on-scene “First Responders”
We only just reached 11,000 (counting the CVBG and ARG personnel offshore) today.
https://www.cimicweb.org/Pages/Haiti.aspx
http://www.southcom.mil/AppsSC/factFiles.php?id=138
Presence vs impact
On fixing Haiti: Maybe we need a Haitian US Marine shipped in there as a warlord. An analogous guy, last time I looked, was the main badass in Somalia.
“your comment is awaiting moderation.” What! I reserve the right to publicly make a fool of myself on other folks’ comment threads, and get yelled at for doing so!
To add insult to injury, a 6.1 aftershock. Maybe God’s way of saying “Okay, kids, knock it off. Enough with the bickering, already.”
After some of the violence and looting that’s taken place, maybe some non-lethal was needed to put things aright. That said, the growing number of First Responders is encouraging. Now if the engaged countries will stop trying to be lead dog on each others sled, maybe the work of lifesaving can get underway.
Kris-
First and only? What about the $20 million you got after 9/11, the numerous search teams, the men and women that were first in the scene after the Tsunami, many of which found your countrymen who then flew an RAAF C-130 to Darwin then were dispersed across the country for treatment.
Sim – I already answered that statement above. And please leave 9/11 out of this kind of discussion. That was not a natural disaster. It’s hardly appropriate to compare what happened in that aftermath to anything else.