“Staten Island and Far Rockaway… parts of it… look like a war zone… I say that in all seriousness having seen devastated areas in other places like Katrina as well as in Zimbabwe and Thailand… The city out there is absolutely flattened.”
– Occupy Wall Street activist Michael Premo on Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath
Haiti, the site of the most successful slave revolt in history, is now the poorest country in the Americas, and among the most foreign dominated. It has survived political violence throughout its history including a mid-twentieth century US occupation and successive dictatorships. Now under the auspices of the UN and aided by multiple NGOs, is this island nation turning the corner?
Hardly, says York University Professor Justin Podur who has recently authored the book Haiti’s New Dictatorship: The Coup, the Earthquake and the UN Occupation. In this interview Podur argues that even with elections and foreign assistance by the UN, EU, Canada and the US, the ruling authority in Haiti can be accurately described as a dictatorship.
Also, we take a look at North-Eastern US states following the carnage wrought by Hurricane Sandy, estimated to be one of the most destructive storms to ever hit the United States. Community broadcaster Ken Freedman of Hoboken, New Jersey and Michael Premo of Brooklyn relate their observances and experiences on the ground in these devastated areas, and how grassroots organizations are successfully rising to the challenge of providing relief to the survivors of the superstorm.
LISTEN TO INTERVIEW:
Click to download audio (MP3 format)
Length (59:06)
The Global Research News Hour airs on CKUW 95.9FM in Winnipeg Thursdays at 10am CDT. The programme is broadcast weekly by CKUW News, 95.9 FM out of Winnipeg, MB, and on Canadian community radio networks. The weekly programme is available for download on the Global Research website.
