It is been 10 days since a powerful earthquake destroyed the Haitian capital of Port au Prince and surrounding areas. Tens of thousands are believed to have died, many still buried under collapsed buildings and more are have been injured as the world shocked by televised images of the catastrophe has been sending planes with humanitarian aid. The United States, however, reacted by sending over 10,000 heavily armed troops to occupy the airport, a move that has received wide international criticism.
The military response has also brought back to mind the fact that the United States was one of the main sponsors of the 2004 coup against popularly elected President Aristide.
This past Thursday, the Brecht Forum in lower Manhattan organized a panel of activists and academics to discuss the long history of difficult relations between the two nations.
