U.S. troops were sent to return democratically elected Jean-Bertrand Astride to power and in the eight years since, those who applauded the former priest's presidency have been shamed into silence.
Electoral fraud is manifest, the opposition is under siege and government institutions are closed.
The country's private sector is being drive out of business and the economy is increasingly dependant on narcotics. Mr. Fauriol writes that the challenge for Washington's new U.S.-Haiti policy is to reimpose some discipline.