Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Haiti: National Security
With United States support, the government created the
Leopard counterinsurgency unit, which provided the regime
with a relatively modern tool for responding to internal
threats. By placing a capable new force under Baby Doc's command,
the Leopards reduced his dependence on the allegiance
of the armed forces and the VSN. In 1972 the Military Academy
reopened, and the first class since 1961 graduated in 1973.
Because the lower classes could not meet the academy's educational
requirements, the students were drawn from the middle
class and were usually sponsored by active-duty officers or other
officials. The reopening of the academy represented a small
step toward reprofessionalizing the military. Some modernization
of army equipment was also undertaken during this
period.
The armed forces largely escaped the immediate wrath of a
population clearly bent on putting an end to Duvalier rule.
Popular violence had erupted in 1984, and it continued into
early 1986 in an expanding sequence of local revolts. In its waning
days, the regime relied heavily on the VSN and on limited
local police capabilities to curb violence. Many Haitians
detected the fissures growing in the nation's security apparatus,
and some rumors held that the army would move against Duvalier.
These rumors, however, proved incorrect; still, Duvalier's
inability to contain the widespread rioting through political
measures and the VSN's failure to control the unrest placed the
military in a pivotal position. Conscious of his precarious hold
on power, Duvalier reshuffled the cabinet and the military
leadership in the last days of 1985, but to no avail. Reports of
brutal excesses by the increasingly desperate VSN further weakened
Duvalier's position.
The army's discontent with the crumbling regime became
evident when troops refused to fire on demonstrators, and, in a
few instances, army personnel turned against the VSN. With
last-minute assistance from the United States, Haiti's leading
generals provided the political transition required to ease
Duvalier out of power in February 1986. In pushing for Duvalier's
abdication, the army was not expressing genuine concern
for the best interests of Haiti. Rather, the army sought to shield
itself from responsibility for the explosive sociopolitical situation.
The Post-Duvalier Period
Jean-Claude Duvalier left behind a hastily constructed
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