The Hated and the Dead

Kissinger said that ninety percent of politicians give the other ten percent a bad name. Each week, a guest and I discuss the life and legacy of one politician from recent times. Some are well-known, others obscure; all have left an indelible mark on our world, and often for the worse. Join me, Tom Leeman, in a journey through the corruptible and the controversial.

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The Hated and the Dead

EP126: Jean-Bertrand Aristide

May 12, 2024 • Tom Leeman • Season 11

Jean-Bertrand Aristide was President of Haiti three times between 1991 and 2004.

A lightning rod for hope and democracy on his election in 1990, the overall course and tone of Aristide's political career was set remarkably early on in 1991, when after just eight months in power, Aristide was removed in a coup.

As you’re about to hear, Aristide’s reformist agenda never recovered from the 1991 coup, and his time in power can be interpreted as the overture to Haiti’s present crisis. It is one of the most crushing stories I’ve covered on this series, but my guest also provides hope in the form of stories about the enormous cultural and communal wealth of Haiti and its people.

That guest is Rosa Freedman. Rosa is Professor of Law, Conflict, and Global Development at the University of Reading, and has published extensively on the United Nations, international human rights law, sexual exploitation and abuse in conflict, and Haiti.