Instead a violent transfer of power occurred, in 2004, with an armed rebellion led by former military and paramilitary leaders sweeping through the country, all with the veiled support of the Bush administration of the supposedly non-violent political opposition parties ("The International Republican Institute").
In this most recent Haiti operation, in 2004, the U.S. Treasury Undersecretary, John Taylor, noted that the United States would contribute $232 million and the Inter-American Development Bank would contribute $400 million. However, American federal funds had already been flowing into the country since the late 1990s. Through the IRI, $3 million had already been funneled into Haiti in an effort to destabilize Aristide, mostly funds from taxpayer money from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Harsh sanctions, coupled with the IRI's training of Aristide's political opponents and the rejection of internationally-sanctioned power sharing agreements, escalated the Haitian political crisis to the eventual political coup that occurred, all with the support of not only ultra-rightwing conservatives, but the Bush administration as well ("Did the Bush Administration").
Following the violent coup, the Bush administration further demonstrated its support of the removal of Aristide, in its response.
They demanded that the democratic countries of the Caribbean desist in their call for...
They called for the removal of the Aristide family from Jamaica, where they had fled, and out of the region completely.
And, requested that Caricom abandon their policy of only admitting democratically elected governments into their councils, since Haiti would no longer fit this description (Robinson). Clearly, the Bush administration not only participated, through its support of the IRI, the destabilization of Aristide, but also wanted to ensure that the former leader did not return a second time.
References
Did the Bush Administration Allow a Network of Right-Wing Republicans to Foment a Violent Coup in Haiti?" Africa Speaks. 20 July 2004. Democracynow.org. December 30, 2006 http://www.africaspeaks.com/haiti2004/2007.html.
The International Republican Institute: Promulgating Democracy of Another Variety." Council on Hemispheric Affairs. 15 Jul 2004. Council on Hemispheric Affairs. December 30, 2006 http://www.coha.org/2004/07/15/the-international-republican-institute-promulgating-democracy-of-another-variety/.
IRI Home Page. 2005. International Republican Institute. December 30, 2006 http://www.iri.org/.
Robinson, Randall. "Bushwhacked in the Caribbean: America's Contempt for the World." Africa Speaks. 22 May 2004. Africa Speaks. December 30, 2006 http://www.africaspeaks.com/haiti2004/2205.html.
