Just in case you've been curious, an update on the Honduran coup...
On October 30th an agreement was reached between the de facto Honduran government and representatives of deposed president Manuel Zeleya. Talks to end the crisis were deadlocked as of Oct. 23, after 16 days of negotiations. Then a delegation from the United States headed by Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon joined the talks in Tegucigalpa on Oct. 28, and an agreement was signed just two days later. Before the delegation's arrival the Obama administration had consistently said that it would take a backseat in the negotiations, claiming the US wanted to avoid "intervention". "Who knows what would have happened if the [US] delegation had arrived earlier?" asked Eduardo Enrique Reina, the Honduran ambassador to the US (appointed by Zelaya in July).
However, the delegation that arrived on October 28th was certainly not the first group of U.S. politicians to arrive in the wake of the coup. In the beginning of October a group of House Republicans journeyed to Honduras to meet with the de facto government, flying in the face of the Obama administration's 'hands-off' stance. Additionally, days before the official delegation arrived, U.S. supporters of the coup were experiencing setbacks in their efforts to claim that the coup was legal and backed by a majority of Hondurans. Several legal experts had already dismissed an August report by the Law Library of Congress claiming that Zelaya's removal was constitutional. On Oct. 27 Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to Librarian of Congress James Billington calling the report "misleading to the Congress and the public" and charging that it "contains factual errors and is based on a flawed legal analysis". They asked for the Law Library to issue a corrected version including other views. The report had been requested by a Republican, Rep. Aaron Schock of Illinois, and Republican Congress members promptly charged Kerry and Berman with censorship. (The Hill, Oct. 27; Miami Herald, Nov. 1)
U.S. infighting aside, it now looks like there is an end in sight to the Honduran crisis. However, this coup has highlighted the core issue surrounding U.S. foreign policy in Latin America. "At its root, the fight in Honduras has been over whether Latin American nations will remain committed to upholding liberal democracy and the rule of law, not only at home but for their neighbors. The alliance led by Hugo Chávez [ALBA] is promoting a rival model of populist authoritarianism -- one that Honduras's deposed president, Manuel Zelaya, was attempting to adopt" (Washington Post, Oct. 31). As Chavez continues to promote ALBA [Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America] there will be more political tests of will like this. What is less certain is how the United States will respond to its hegemony being threatened in the region.
Related articles
What is ALBA? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolivarian_Alliance_for_the_Americas
Deal is struck http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1933603,00.html
A Win? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103003360.html
Republican Trip http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/10/02/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5358973.shtml
Showing posts with label coup d'état. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coup d'état. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
It's times like these that you want to plot a coup...
*brownie points if you know what song i stole this title from ;)*
So, in case Central American politics haven't been on your radar lately, here's a quick refresher about the situation in Honduras..... President Manuel Zelaya was removed from power on June 28th, and taken to Costa Rica by the Honduran military. Zelaya claims that he was tortured while in custody. I've also heard a rumor that the U.S. ambassador made a call to Panama requesting permission for Zelaya's plane to land after he was detained by the military. Many people are certain that the U.S. had something to do with this coup, and really it wouldn’t be surprising given our history in the region. *Quick background info. --> Zelaya, a democratically elected president, is an ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. The U.S. and Chávez tend to disagree* Somehow Zelaya managed to get back into Honduras, after a brief stay in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and has been in the Brazilian embassy since September 21st. From his protected position within the embassy walls he has called on his supports to riot in the streets. On Sunday rights to free speech and assembly were suspended by the de facto government headed by Roberto Micheletti, in part to keep said riots under control (http://www.fsrn.org/audio/honduran-crisis-continues-de-facto-government-suspends-civil-rights/5512). Micheletti's government has also closed down several TV and radio stations. Additionally, representatives from the OAS (Organization of American States) have been denied entry to Honduras. Elections are scheduled for the end of November, but there is infighting over whether or not Zelaya should be allowed to run, as well as Micheletti’s future position in the government. Only time will tell if the international community will allow a 21st century coup d'état to go virtually unaddressed.
I remember learning the word for coup d'état in Spanish (golpe de estado) freshman year at GWU, and thinking "when in the world am I ever going to need to know this?". That was before I took a history class about Latin America haha. Coup d'état’s are part of the political reality here in a way that I could have never imagined in the U.S. Because the coup d'état in Honduras happened while I was in Panama, and I am now learning more about it in my classes in Costa Rica ( a country whose government is heavily involved in the peace negotiation process because of President Oscar Arias), I’m definitely getting a different perspective on the issue than I would at home. My professors are all integrating it into our class discussions, which has been great. It’s also personal matter for some of them; one of has been attending protests to show solidarity with Zelaya supporters, and another has family who have been waiting in the Tegucigalpa airport for two days now trying to get a flight to Costa Rica. It feels as if all of Central America is holding its breath, waiting and watching to see how this new turn of events will play out in this region so accustomed to political turmoil.
More info. here:
Honduras
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ho.html
Concise breakdown
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g1ejO3g3MVSOrGhmgIIPExxxEsQQ
Sen. Kerry getting involved?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/01/AR2009100105015.html
So, in case Central American politics haven't been on your radar lately, here's a quick refresher about the situation in Honduras..... President Manuel Zelaya was removed from power on June 28th, and taken to Costa Rica by the Honduran military. Zelaya claims that he was tortured while in custody. I've also heard a rumor that the U.S. ambassador made a call to Panama requesting permission for Zelaya's plane to land after he was detained by the military. Many people are certain that the U.S. had something to do with this coup, and really it wouldn’t be surprising given our history in the region. *Quick background info. --> Zelaya, a democratically elected president, is an ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. The U.S. and Chávez tend to disagree* Somehow Zelaya managed to get back into Honduras, after a brief stay in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and has been in the Brazilian embassy since September 21st. From his protected position within the embassy walls he has called on his supports to riot in the streets. On Sunday rights to free speech and assembly were suspended by the de facto government headed by Roberto Micheletti, in part to keep said riots under control (http://www.fsrn.org/audio/honduran-crisis-continues-de-facto-government-suspends-civil-rights/5512). Micheletti's government has also closed down several TV and radio stations. Additionally, representatives from the OAS (Organization of American States) have been denied entry to Honduras. Elections are scheduled for the end of November, but there is infighting over whether or not Zelaya should be allowed to run, as well as Micheletti’s future position in the government. Only time will tell if the international community will allow a 21st century coup d'état to go virtually unaddressed.
I remember learning the word for coup d'état in Spanish (golpe de estado) freshman year at GWU, and thinking "when in the world am I ever going to need to know this?". That was before I took a history class about Latin America haha. Coup d'état’s are part of the political reality here in a way that I could have never imagined in the U.S. Because the coup d'état in Honduras happened while I was in Panama, and I am now learning more about it in my classes in Costa Rica ( a country whose government is heavily involved in the peace negotiation process because of President Oscar Arias), I’m definitely getting a different perspective on the issue than I would at home. My professors are all integrating it into our class discussions, which has been great. It’s also personal matter for some of them; one of has been attending protests to show solidarity with Zelaya supporters, and another has family who have been waiting in the Tegucigalpa airport for two days now trying to get a flight to Costa Rica. It feels as if all of Central America is holding its breath, waiting and watching to see how this new turn of events will play out in this region so accustomed to political turmoil.
More info. here:
Honduras
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ho.html
Concise breakdown
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g1ejO3g3MVSOrGhmgIIPExxxEsQQ
Sen. Kerry getting involved?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/01/AR2009100105015.html
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