12 Chapter 2
Narrative: This crisis started in December 1914 when the United States sent Marines
on board the USS Machias to Port-au-Prince to escort $500,000 in gold out of a
Haitian bank in which the National City Bank of New York was the primary investor.
While the transfer was without incident, Haiti construed the move as an affront and
responded by seizing $65,000 of gold in the vaults and attempted to seize even more
funds. Haiti also began relating vague threats against Americans in Haiti.
President Woodrow Wilson’s government responded with patience. In the first
few months of the crisis, American policy in reaction to these events was stern but
also optimistic that strong signals of interest in Haiti would result in regime change
and stability. It became clear as the year moved forward that this was not working.
Revolutions and regime change were rampant in Haiti, and American patience had
worn out. After Guillaume Sam, an ephemeral president amidst the chaos, was liter-
ally ripped to pieces outside the French Legation in Port-au-Prince, the United States
dispatched the USS Washington to Port-au-Prince’s harbor. At this point, the United
States considered a possible intervention into Port-au-Prince to restore order. The
United States was also uneasy with the growing German and French interest in Haiti,
fearing that they may intervene if the United States did not. The intervention, leading
to an occupation, began on July 28, 1915. Shortly thereafter, the two states concluded
a treaty on September 16, hammering out financial obligations for Haiti, but the US
occupation of Haiti continued until 1934.
Coding changes: End Date changed from September 9, 1915.
MID#4016
Dispute Number: 4016
Date(s): October 18, 1993 to September 18, 1994
Participants: 160 Argentina, 2 United States of America, 20 Canada, 200 United
Kingdom, 210 Netherlands, 220 France, 42 Dominican Republic/41 Haiti
Outcome (and Settlement): Victory for side A (Imposed)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: This dispute describes a series of incidents generated by US-led efforts to
restore the rule of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide after he was deposed in a
coup d’état in September 1991. The incidents begin with a naval blockade in October
1993 where the United States was joined by a number of other nations (Argentina,
Canada, Chile, the Dominican Republic, France, Haiti, the Netherlands, the United
Kingdom, and Venezuela). In mid-October 1993, the UN Security Council passed
Resolution 875 calling upon all member states to participate in the international sanc-
tions against Haiti as well as the imposed naval blockade.
The first of the ships that the United States sent to blockade the Caribbean nation
began to arrive on October 18, which marks the start of the militarized dispute.
The United States said that it would lift the embargo if Haiti’s military commander
Lieutenant General Raoul Cedras would retire, the police auxiliary units were
disbanded, and all political violence and human rights abuses ended. Even though
more ships from a variety of countries began to arrive, Cedras gave no indication
that he would comply and step down as he had agreed to in an internationally bro-
kered agreement.