num_pages: 210
description: These rambling reflections will be of little profit to those who have not closely followed developments in the former Haitian president's tragic country. Originally published in France as Aristide's exile was ending in 10/1994, Dignity was essentially a plea for more of the international aid &amp; support to which Aristide attributes his movement's survival. He expresses particular gratitude to the foreign governments &amp; human rights organizations that condemned the usurpation of power in 1991 by army officers supported by Haiti's oligarchy; he writes movingly of the solidarity he found among Haitians living abroad. His attitude toward the USA is understandably critical, given the history of American intervention in Haitian affairs &amp; acquiescence in the corrupt &amp; brutal Duvalier regimes. He lauds President Clinton's sympathy for democratic forces in Haiti but is candid about the deal under which Clinton's efforts to reinstate them were tied to Aristide's agreement to discourage Haitian emigration. For the most part, Aristide is excrutiatingly vague about the American elements that he largely blames for Haiti's problems, citing only the CIA by name. He's more open in expressing his contempt for the Catholic hierarchy, which he finds irredeemably cynical about Haitian democracy, from the pope down. There are fine passages, but they read like segments from oft-delivered speeches adapted for print &amp; the translation is uneven. A chronology &amp; notes offer some elucidation of the period's complex history, but this edition would have benefited from an introductory essay putting Aristide's recollections &amp; views in context &amp; describing the forces &amp; people at work in recent Haitian history. Strangely, little attempt has been made to update the book. Should be of use to future historians, but likely to disappoint the contemporary reader.--Kirkus
language: English
title: Dignity
titlecomplete: Dignity
ratings_count: 2
publisher: University of Virginia Press