Michel Martelly is closely associated with the extreme right in Haiti that twice overthrew elected government (in 1991 and 2004). He has vowed to reconstitute the notorious Armed Forces of Haiti, disbanded in 1995 due to its record of massive human rights violations (elements of which are in training and waiting for the call). He says that Haiti's economic and social development depends on convincing more foreign investors to set up shop. He told CBC Radio's The Current on April 7 that Haiti has been "going in the wrong direction for the last 25 years," a reference to the long and difficult struggle by the Haitian people to move beyond the terrible legacy of the Duvalier tyranny. The two-round electoral exercise that landed him in power was foreign-funded and inspired. The United … [read more]