Word: haitian
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...first democratically elected President. But last week Bush seemed to back away, citing allegations of human-rights abuses by the activist priest -- charges soon bolstered by an Organization of American States team in Haiti. Most disturbing: a Sept. 27 speech in which Aristide seemed to condone Pere Lebrun, a Haitian form of lynching in which a gasoline- soaked tire is set ablaze around a victim's neck. Officially, the U.S. % continued to advocate Aristide's return, but the likelihood of intervention on his behalf dropped sharply...
Aristide reacted by pledging to fortify democratic institutions if he is returned to power. That prospect became more complicated when Joseph Nerette, 67, a Supreme Court judge, was sworn in as provisional President. The figurehead President was hastily appointed by Haitian lawmakers after soldiers stormed the legislature to close off a constitutional loophole that would allow Aristide's return. Other troops took over the Port-au-Prince airport while the head of the Haitian armed forces, Brigadier General Raoul Cedras, and OAS diplomats were meeting there...
...landslide victory came as a slap in the face to certain sectors of Haitian society. The army was concerned, since Aristide had never made deals with the military in the tradition of most Haitian presidential candidates. The economic elite was worried because they had been telling each other for years that "that little priest" was a communist. The Roman Catholic Church was nervous because Aristide's relations with the Haitian hierarchy continued to be rocky...
...typically, the man of contradictions surprised everyone. Formerly considered adamant and intransigent, he moderated his militant tone as President. He spoke to the Haitian generals of the love he felt for them -- even as he retired them. He fell into a cordial relationship with the American ambassador after years of criticizing the U.S. government. For seven months he performed the high-wire trick of remaining faithful to his poor and clamorous constituency while trying to stay in power...
Although the negotiations for Aristide's life while he was in military custody last week were touch and go, Haitians were not surprised that he escaped unscathed. They are used to watching him emerge from the ashes without a scratch. Some even believe he is divinely protected, by either Christian powers or the powers of Haitian vodou. He shrugs off such assertions but adds, "I have been immunized against fear." In Haiti now, in the dark slums, in the bloodied hospitals, behind burning barricades on country roads, they are waiting for Mr. Miracle to return...