Keeping Haiti Afloat

The killings in Haiti typically aren’t as spectacular or well reported as those in Iraq, but they come with the same metronomic regularity. On Sunday, a raid by United Nations troops on a police station occupied by former soldiers ended in the deaths of two U.N. peacekeepers and two ex-soldiers. More than 400 people have died since September in clashes among police, the ex-soldiers who helped oust President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and armed supporters of the president.

A year after Aristide fled, Haiti continues to be one of the most disastrously failed states in the Western Hemisphere. Its problems have long defied easy solutions. As in hot spots like Iraq, though, planners can’t even begin working on them until basic security can be provided. The U.N. peacekeeping force there is almost at its authorized strength -- a little more than 6,000 international troops and 1,500-plus civilian police personnel -- yet security in Haiti is precarious at best. Interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue has called for local and national elections in the fall. That’s a goal worth pursuing because a meaningful election would give needed legitimacy to the authorities. The U.N. Security Council could and should play a key role in the election by deploying more foreign troops and police to speed up the disarmament of the gangs and defend the country’s infrastructure.

But that’s not all. To ensure a successful election, the interim government must engage all political parties. Aristide’s Lavalas Party, the largest and best-organized political group in Haiti, has said it may boycott the elections, but party leaders may change their minds if the interim government sends the right signals. The government could make a very good start by freeing two key Lavalas Party members -- former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune and ex-Interior Minister Jocelerme Privert -- who have spent nearly a year in prison without formal charges or trials.

Disarming the gangs, negotiating a solution with Lavalas and holding a credible election wouldn’t solve all the island’s problems, but they’re key steps toward alleviating its misery.