Haiti is under new international dictatorship says author

Justin Podur issues a powerful challenge and wake-up call to the international NGO and development community

TORONTO, Oct. 29, 2012 /CNW/ - Haiti is again living under a dictatorship, says author Justin Podur.  Podur, author of Haiti's New Dictatorship: The Coup, the Earthquake and the UN Occupation, explains that Haitians have no effective say over their economic and political affairs; their right to assemble and organize politically is sharply limited; and human rights violations are routine and go unpunished.

Pudor says, "Last week conclusive evidence came out that the cholera outbreak that killed 7,500 people in Haiti came from the UN, with an accompanying note that there is no one to blame for it. In a way, this is true: the international regime that rules Haiti today diffuses responsibility so that thousands of people can die and there is no one to blame. Democracy and sovereignty could save lives in Haiti."

Haiti's New Dictatorship tells the history of the past seven years, from the 2004 coup against Aristide to the devastating 2010 earthquake, revealing a shocking story of abuse and neglect by international forces.

Justin Podur is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at York University. He is a writer on political conflicts and social movements, and has reported from numerous countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Haiti, and Israel/Palestine. He is a contributor to Empire's Ally: Canadian Foreign Policy and the War in Afghanistan (2012).

Justin Podur is available for interview.

Since 1977 Between the Lines Books has published books that embrace critical perspectives on culture, economics, and society. Between the Lines acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $154 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country.

SOURCE: Between the Lines Books

Matthew Adams, Between the Lines Books | 416-535-9914 | [email protected]