Haiti quote of the day

So much drug money was at stake in the power struggle that culminated in Mr. Aristide’s departure that Bruce Bagley, a professor at the University of Miami who has studied drug trafficking in Haiti, called the rebellion “basically a narco-coup.”

“The battle was over who is going to control the drug trafficking and the profits of the drug trade,” he said.

In fact it is possible that Aristide himself will be indicted for drug trafficking. Here is the full story. Here is more on Aristide and drugs.

The bottom line: Haitian politics no longer has a viable state at all, just various gangs, mostly in hock to the drug trade.