Sir Ronald Sanders: The OAS is Broke and Broken

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Sir Ronald Sanders Statement at the OAS General Assembly in Peru: The OAS is Broke and Broken

As we meet at this 52nd regular session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States, the OAS is financially broke. We are trying to run an Organization that costs $118 million on an unrealistic budget of $81 million. The result is that the Secretariat of the Organization is unable to carry out a mountain of mandates from a hill of meagre financial resources. Sadly, because of this, the staff of the Organization live in uncertainty. Many are seeking better security elsewhere, and there is an exodus of talent, as skilled people flee to seek refuge in destinations with better prospects. It is little wonder that the peoples of our countries do not see the benefits of the OAS and, therefore, place little or no value in it. Member states with the financial capacity to pay, withhold their due contributions, and others seek incentives to pay on time what they agreed to pay, and have an obligation to meet. The Organization is still booking as receivable income, contributions from countries that have severed their ties from it, in fictional transactions that claim these monies, running into tens of millions of dollars, are somehow payable. If the OAS was a public company, its auditors would have declared it bankrupt. The Organization is also structurally broken. The OAS is hardly known by the peoples of our states. And, collectively, we do not seem to know if we are an organization of 35 states or of 34. The OAS has a Charter and rules of procedure that were produced in the days before cellular phones and the internet, before the world became a neighborhood, and before interconnectivity between nations occurs in the fraction of a section. Yet its ancient Charter and rules of procedure have remained the guide of an Organization, operating in the modern world with unprecedented challenges. The result is that the Organization moves at the slow crawl of a turtle when it should be moving at the pace of Jamaica's Usain Bolt, responsive to the needs of people at every level. That is why a General Assembly can impose a violation of the Charter by 19 votes including a disputed representative but cannot change it by 19 votes of fully qualified and accredited representatives as happened this morning, The Organization has an obligation to respond to the needs of its peoples because its member governments have promised to do so. That is the compact between governments and people which this Organization was established to fulfil. But there is a gap between what governments promised and what is being delivered. And, let it be clear that the failure to bridge that gap is not the fault of the Secretariat and its largely capable staff. It is the fault of governments that do not provide the resources; it is the fault of an antiquated Charter, and it is the fault of anachronistic rules which urgently need reform. Therefore, governments must resolve to address these problems, and commit to provide the resources to give the OAS the vibrance, relevance and importance that it should have. Not for the first time, Antigua and Barbuda urges the establishment of a group of Eminent persons from across our hemisphere to produce a report and recommendations on what must happen to recreate the OAS to serve the needs of our Hemisphere, and the needs of our Hemisphere in the World. Mr Chairman, there are critical issues that confront all our nations collectively. They are issues that none of us can fully satisfy individually, but we can all meet collectively. Those issues include: •The impact of Climate Change from which none of our nations can escape. •The maintenance and preservation of the international legal order which is the basis for peace and prosperity across the world. In this regard, we all have an obligation to stand up against any nation that violates the global legal order, as Russia has done in Ukraine, creating world economic turmoil and instability that looks set to worsen. That is why Antigua and Barbuda contributed actively to the resolutions and declarations that sought to tell president Putin that this war must end, and end now. The innocent and smallest of our nations have been burdened the most, trapped in an international financial system that ignores our needs. Health issues also confront us all. COVID-19 is not the last pandemic the world will endure. This hemisphere needs to be ready for the next one. And ready – not with nationalistic protectionism but in multi-nation collaboration. There should never again be vaccine hoarding by the rich and deprivation for the poor. The mantra of none is safe, until all are safe will continue to be true in the future as it was as we all trembled in fear at COVID-19. Addressing economic inequalities is also a common challenge for which there can only be a common solution. Development and economic advancement must be a goal for all in our hemisphere, for which all in our hemisphere should work diligently in our collective interest. Human rights and human freedom must also remain a fundamental objective of this OAS, but we must devise early warning mechanisms, with implementation machinery, to address violations before they become so persistent and pervasive, that there are empty chairs and lowered flags at our meetings. In this regard, my delegation makes it clear that Haiti cannot be left by itself to deal with rampaging, armed gangs who kidnap, terrorize and enrich themselves, defying all laws and tearing down institutions. The gangs in Haiti must be brought under control without any further delay. The countries, in this Assembly, with the resources to help should do so, and the Haitian authorities must provide them with the guarantees, including stomping our corruption, that are necessary to help. The alternative is the creation of a criminal state in our midst, and a base for criminal activity in our neighbourhood. The Haitian people do not want this. They are the victims. This OAS has an obligation to help and help now. Mr Chairman, the OAS can be a force for good, an instrument of peace and prosperity and an influence for democracy and development, but only if we reform it, respect it and resource it.l Sir Ronald Sanders is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States and the Organization of American States.

As Democrats Celebrate Averting Election Disaster, We Can't Ignore the Voters We're Losing

BY HON ERIC ADAMS

TEAM My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. —Hosea 4:6

Publisher I.Q. INC.

Managing Editor & Editor-in-Chief Pearl Phillip

Election Day is over. And though Americans did not speak with one voice, working-class voters sent a clear message: They are deeply concerned about the economy, crime and inflation. They are also increasingly looking for leadership that acknowledges their concerns and defends their interests, regardless of party. Because for America’s working-class voters, elections aren’t about their identity – they are about their survival. A majority of Americans are in a precarious economic position, many just one illness or job loss away from financial ruin. They will vote for candidates who acknowledge those problems, even if the solutions on offer are less than effective. So, despite an overall better-thanexpected showing for Democrats on Tuesday, working people continued the long trend of voting more often for Republican candidates. We cannot ignore the continued erosion of their support while we celebrate avoiding electoral disaster.

Democrats' support – and base – is wavering Many of these voters are from previously reliable voting blocs for Democrats, including Black voters, Latinos and Asians. Those groups seem to be increasingly unenthusiastic about Democrats, and many voters have already switched teams. Exit polling by The Associated Press showed that people of color seemed to have voted at lower rates for Democrats on Tuesday, the latest dip in a trend of decline. Just 6 in 10 Hispanic and Asian Americans voted Democrat, down from 7 in 10 and 8 in 10 respectively just four years ago, according to the data. As the working-class Black mayor of New York City, I hear it over and over again: My street is not safe. I can’t find work. I lost my job, my apartment, my health care. What are you going to do about it? And I can do more than listen – I can empathize. I am the son of a single mother, who grew up not knowing if I would come home to food on the table or an eviction notice on the door. On Tuesday, Republicans from those communities in Queens and Brooklyn –traditionally deep blue areas – made very strong showings, capturing seats that are traditionally Democrats’. One thing I learned during my campaign for mayor last year, though, was that just addressing basic concerns is not enough. Public officials need to be able to say what they will do today for those who are struggling and not just make promises for tomorrow.

Republican Party asking the right questions Republicans do this well. The Republican Party asks the right questions even as they supply the wrong answers. Democrats have the right answers, but the wrong attitude. New York is the safest big city in America, but this statistic means nothing to a mother mourning a child lost to gun violence. We might have nearly two jobs available for every American who is unemployed, but that doesn’t help the person laid off from the only job they’ve ever had. That’s why my administration adopted the mantra of "Get Stuff Done," and my team has embraced it. When working people say they want safer streets, we put more officers on them. When they say they want more housing, we move heaven and earth to start building. We’ve immediately helped working families by expanding the earned income tax credit and creating a massive new child care initiative. None of this is radical. It’s practical. It’s radically practical. And that’s what Democrats should be, too. Voting is an act of emotional trust, not straightforward logic. It’s about acknowledging peoples’ needs, their emotions, their reality – and doing something about it.

Democrats, put working people first Democrats have to put working people and their communities first, which includes three critical actions we seem to have forgotten how to do: listening, responding and organizing. The Democratic Party has the right policies, but it must focus its messaging on immediacy, not grand plans. We must put “right now” solutions – such as investments in income tax credits, childcare, housing, health care and public safety – front and center and keep them there. If we fail to hear what working people are saying, to empathize with their concerns and take action on their behalf, we will lose that bond of social trust that holds small towns, big cities and multicultural democracies together. Republicans will also continue to press their advantage in congressional maps, controlling more seats with fewer votes than we can as we become the party of only upper middle class urban and suburban residents, relegating us to long-term irrelevance. My fellow Democrats: This is our mission going forward. We’re not here to tell people how to feel. We are here to show people they are being heard. The people – working people – are our north star. Their priorities must be our priorities. Their values must be respected. Their voices must be heard. And following their lead is not just our responsibility; it is our future.l

Mayor Eric Adams Editorial credit: Steve Sanchez Photos / Shutterstock.com

Mayor Eric Adams has served the people of New York City as an NYPD officer, State Senator, Brooklyn Borough President, and now as the 110th Mayor of the City of New York. Legal Advisor Brian Figeroux, Esq.

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Armed Intervention in Haiti continued from page 1 The government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry began in early October to call for foreign troops to come help it gain the upper hand against the gangs. The first international response has been a U.N. resolution placing sanctions on the primary gang leader, former police officer Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier. More direct involvement may be on the horizon. The Biden administration has indicated that the U.S. and Mexico plan to submit another proposal for the U.N. Security Council’s consideration that would authorize a “non-UN international security assistance mission” to quell violence and facilitate the distribution of aid. Conditions in Haiti today are alarming, but as a scholar of 20th-century Haitian history, I am concerned that foreign intervention runs the risk of making a bad situation worse – as has happened repeatedly there for more than 100 years. I believe any response should carefully consider how past aid and military interventions have shaped the dire situation Haitians face today.

US occupation Foreign influences have long exerted power over Haitian internal affairs. Initially enslaved in a brutal French sugar colony, Haitians won their freedom and independence in 1804 after 13 years of war and revolution. But a state of free Black people was viewed suspiciously by the surrounding slave-holding empires in North and South America. There were many efforts to weaken, control or contain the young country. The most expansive of these efforts was the U.S. occupation of Haiti. In 1915, the U.S. occupied Haiti and ruled it as a client state for 19 years. The pretext for the invasion was to calm political turmoil in Haiti, but scholarship has shown how the U.S. was primarily interested in protecting and expanding its economic interests in the region. Many white Americans justified the occupation because of their paternalistic ideas about Black people. And many U.S. Marines in Haiti shared a Jim Crow mentality about race, which shaped governing styles and exacerbated tensions between light-skinned and dark-skinned Haitians. The U.S. military claimed to be a modernizing force in Haiti, but the changes it made weakened the country’s institutions. It undermined Haitian political autonomy by establishing a puppet government that rubber-stamped legislation drafted by U.S. officials. The U.S. invested heavily in the capital city of Port-au-Prince while letting the rest of the country fall into decline. When U.S. troops departed in 1934, power had been concentrated in the central government, leaving Haiti’s provinces weak and the country with few counterweights to executive authority.

The Duvaliers This centralized system became a major liability when, in 1957, François Duvalier was elected president of Haiti. Duvalier, a Black nationalist, found support by mobilizing racial animosities that had been heightened by the U.S. occupation. He had little respect for democratic norms and leaned on a violent paramilitary to crush his opponents. Within a few years, Duvalier had established a kleptocratic dictatorship that ruled over a major decline of Haiti’s economic and political life. After his death in 1971, his son, Jean-Claude Duvalier, took over as “president-for-life.” The younger Duvalier, who portrayed himself as a modernizer, enjoyed everincreasing amounts of support from the international community, especially the United States. But reforms remained superficial and Haiti’s government was still a dictatorship. In 1986, a popular uprising fueled by grassroots organizing, spiraling economic crises and social discontent pushed the Duvalier family into exile.

Struggles with democracy after dictatorship Since then, Haitian political life has been a push-and-pull of democratic aspiration and authoritarian repression. In the wake of the dictatorship, Haiti reinvented itself as a constitutional democracy, but the political transition remains incomplete to this day. Duvalier loyalists and allies in the military violently disrupted the first attempt at an election in 1987. When voting finally took place in 1990, the people elected a left-leaning populist and former Catholic priest, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, in a landslide victory that saw historic levels of voter participation. But once again, anti-democratic elements in the elite and the military intervened, overthrowing Aristide after just a few months in office and establishing a violent military junta. President Bill Clinton sent troops back to Haiti in 1994 to push out the junta and reinstall Aristide. Aristide was overthrown again in 2004, launching new waves of sweeping political violence. A U.S., French and Canadian coalition sent an “interim international force” of troops to restore order and help organize new elections. They were soon were replaced by a blue-helmeted U.N. peacekeeping mission led by Brazil, known as MINUSTAH. Initially planned as a six-month intervention, those forces remained in Haiti until 2017. When Port-au-Prince was struck by a devastating earthquake in 2010, MINUSTAH forces were already on the ground. The international community launched a massive, ill-coordinated relief and recovery effort, but, much like the American occupation a century earlier, the primary benefactor was the private sector in the U.S. and other major donor countries. MINUSTAH’s most enduring legacy was a cholera epidemic caused by poor sanitation practices at a U.N. base in Haiti’s countryside.

The current crisis MINUSTAH and the Obama State Department oversaw Haiti’s 2010 presidential elections and had a major hand in securing the victory of President Michel Martelly, a pop star-turned-politician who quickly gained a reputation for corruption. He was succeeded by his chosen successor, Jovenel Moïse, who dissolved parliament in 2020. According to human rights agencies, he worked with local gangs to terrorize his opponents. Moïse was assassinated in July 2021 –a murder that has yet to be solved. Without a parliament, there is no constitutional line of succession. Haiti’s government has since lurched forward under the leadership of Henry, an unelected and unpopular official who has been linked to Moïse’s alleged assassins. Despite these concerns, Henry has enjoyed the backing of the U.S. over his rivals. A coalition of Haitian civil society groups drafted a proposal for a new interim government to take power and organize elections. But negotiations with Henry’s government have gone nowhere. Given the vacuum of legitimate authority, the gangs Moïse empowered have begun asserting themselves as independent political actors. Chérizier has joined many local leaders in demanding Henry either resign or share power. Critics are worried that Henry, unrestrained by a democratic mandate or a functioning parliament, plans to use foreign troops to reinforce his political position. And while past foreign interventions in Haiti have often been launched in the name of stability and democracy, they have not proved capable of providing either. lwww.askthelawyer.us

BE EQUITY SMART Buying a New Home? Use This Checklist to Ensure Your Finances Are in Order

Buying a home is a significant expense. It doesn't matter whether you're a first-time buyer or have experience. Unless you have a large pile of cash, you'll need to ensure your finances are in order before closing. In this post we'll explore four financial items you'll want to check off before buying a new home.

Figure Out Your Current Monthly Budget First, you're going to want to sort out your monthly budget. If you've never done a budget before, start with something basic. Open up a spreadsheet or take out a piece of paper. Make two columns: 'income' and 'expenses'. Fill in each column with the amounts that you make or spend each month. Bank, credit card and other statements can help with this process. It's a good idea to go back at least 3 months to ensure you're capturing your true spending.

Make A Debt Management Plan Do you have any debts? If so, you'll want to make a plan for how you're going to manage these when you buy a new home. For example, you may have a car payment, student loans, a line of credit or credit card debt. Write down your debts, how much you owe and when payments are due. If any debts are due monthly, make sure you include those in your budget. Keep in mind that your outstanding debts may impact your ability to borrow for a mortgage as well. If you plan on taking out a mortgage to pay for your new home, it's best to get your debts figured out beforehand. Understand All Your Real Estate Costs Next, you'll want to determine what all your real estate costs are going to be. If you're not yet close to the bidding or closing process, this might be a bit challenging. But ask your real estate agent for a breakdown of what you can expect to pay for a home in your price range.

Set Up An Emergency Savings Cushion Finally, you'll want to set up a financial cushion in case of emergencies. It's not much fun to think about, but losing a job or having a health event is possible. Most financial experts recommend having at least six months of expenses saved up. Of course, this is always easier said than done. What's important is that you have at least some cash tucked away, just in case. If you can, save a bit extra each month or from each pay check and add to this emergency fund. When you're ready to buy a new home, a licensed real estate agent is your best bet for success. Reach out today and learn more about how affordable a new home in your community will be! Call Equity Smart Realty Inc at 888-670-6791. We would be happy to share our guidance.l

Call Equity Smart Realty at 888-670-6791 for a consultation.

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