HAITI: THE ARISTIDE PHENOMENON
ARISTIDE ONES HIS POPULARITY TO PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS THAT HE CHAMPIONS REVENGE AGAINST THE INFLUENTIAL ARCHITECTS OF THE DUVALIER REGIME ASSIVE REDISTRIBUTION OF HEALTH AND LAND, AND HILL DEFEND HAITIAN SOVEREIGNTY IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA. HE IDENTIFIES HITH BOTH THE RURAL AND THE URBAN POOR, SPEAKING TO THEM IN SIMPLE CREOLE TERMS AND USING POWERFUL SYMBOLS SUCH AS A OR TO DESCRIBE HIS PROGRAM FOR CHANGE. UNION LEADERS ADMIT ARISTIDE PROBABLY HAS SUPPORT FROM MORE THAN HALF THE MEMBERSHIP OF THD MAJOR LABOR FEDERATIONS;ECENT CAMPAIGN TOUR WAS SPONSORED BY AN INFLUENTIAL PEASANT ORGANIZATION. ARISTIDE HASYTHICAL PERSONA, BASED LARGELY ON HAVING SURVIVED NUMEROUS ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS,
ARISTIDE'S BROAD APPEAL AND RECIPE FOR RADICAL CHANGE, HOWEVER, MAKE HIM AN ANATHEMA TO HAITI'S ESTABLISHED MILITARY, AND POLITICAL ELITES. CHURCH, LABOR, AND EVEN SOME MAINSTREAM LEFTIST LEADERS ARE CONCERNED THAT HE IS UNBALANCED, SUFFERS ESSIAH COMPLEX, AND IS INFLUENCED BY VIOLENT EXTREMISTS. ACCORDING TO THE
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