Wow — talk about your nostalgia boom. First Jacko has everyone digging out Off The Wall, his best album, then Farrah has everyone misremembering how great 70s TV was(n’t) — and now a central American coup!
The leftist president of Honduras Manuel Zelaya, has been not only deposed by the military, but kidnapped and hustled out of the country, as have the ambassadors from Cuba and Venezuela.
The coup — the first successful one in Latin America since the end of the Cold War, unless you believe, as is possible, that the Colombian Right stole the last election — arises from a complex constitutional stand-off between President Zelaya, the Supreme Court and the Congress.
Zelaya wanted to run a non-binding referendum that would gauge support for an end to the rather tight term limits in the country and allow him to run for a further term in the upcoming elections. The Supreme Court struck this down. Zelaya disputed that ruling, and argued that he had executive powers sufficient to proceed with the distribution of materials for the election — or to order the army to do so.
When the army refused — problematically, they are charged with running election logistics in Honduras, something about which future presidents should probably write themselves a stern post-it reminder — Zelaya sacked their commander and his supporters began distributing the materials themselves. The Supreme Court then ordered Zelaya to reinstate the armed forces’ head. When they didn’t, the army arrested him, and cut off communications within the country for a while.
Zelaya may or may not have acted unconstitutionally, but the army’s actions are undoubtedly a coup — pretty much running as 1975 would have run if Whitlam had told Kerr to go f-ck himself — and they’ve been condemned to varying degrees by everyone in the Americas, save for isolated conservative redoubts Colombia and Canada. Hillary Clinton and Obama have done the old one-two, with Clinton affirming that Zelaya is still President as far as they’re concerned, and Obama urging everyone to observe the rule of law, play nice (a little late, Barry).
The headache for Obama will be if the further left in Latin America — specifically Hugo Chavez — make good on threats to intervene militarily should the result stand. Venezuela’s ambassador was reportedly beaten up, which would give a casus belli, tenuous though it be, and Venezuela’s oil-funded armed forces wouldn’t have much trouble subduing Honduras’s tinpot army — though it would be no cakewalk neither — and Chavez would see a coup like this, not inaccurately, as the return of the juntas.
Indeed the Venezuelan government has pointed the finger at Otto Reich, a shadowy figure who was Dubya’s undersecretary for the Banana Republics, and who endorsed the 2002 coup against Chavez — having held meetings with the coup plotters prior to the act. Reich taught at the US’s bind-torture-kill ‘School of the Americas’ where some of the Honduran military trained, and he now runs a political consultancy and a couple of front NGOs with activities in Honduras.
If Reich is helping foment the coup, he would appear to be doing it off his own bat. But his activities may still give Venezuela and others a chance to ramp up anti-American rhetoric even though, following the recent restoration of ambassadors between the two countries, Hugo appears to be going out of his way to not accuse the US government per se.
We will wait to see if John McCain and the neocon crowd bang the drum for democracy in this case, and declare “we are all Hondurans now” etc. Since McCain’s Latin American advisor is a man named — fancy that! — Otto Reich, one suspects that uprising in the republic of bananas, will get the big manana.
Just like Guy to trivialise matters that are outside his experience. What Zelaya was proposing last weekend was a poll for voters to decide if they wanted to make a non binding vote to a constituent Assembly to review constitutional reform which they could then vote on whether to accept or not. (Honduras current constitution was written in 1982 under another a US backed military regime that came to power by coup). A better analogy would be of the Australian Armed forces deposing a PM for proposing a referendum on making Australia a Republic.
Meanwhile, the leader of the only left of centre party has been assassinated in his home, the Mayor of San Pedro de Sula (2nd largest city) kidnapped, several of Zelaya’s Ministers detained, and a list is circulating of community leaders and unionists regarded as ‘leftist’.
Perhaps Guy should spend a few months on the ground in a country that has been on the receiving end of US foreign policy (The leader of the coup is a graduate of the notorious US “School of the Americas” military training college).
Could someone pleasse give him a copy of Eduardo Galeano’s “Open Veins of Latin America” to read?
Correction – there is now some question as to whether Cesar Ham was actually assassinated, or whether he is in hiding in a safe house with other ‘targeted’ leaders of the social movements in Honduras. The report of his assassination came from NotiMex (a Mexican news agency) on the basis of information from the Honduran police.
Also Colombia *has* condemned the coup – no doubt following the lead of Hillary Clinton.
Nevertheless it is a fact that the Foreign Minister has been abducted, as well as another member of Zelaya’s cabinet, and a list of leaders of the ‘social movements’ is circulating among the ‘special forces’.
I met a number of Honduran unionists who were in El Salvador for the inauguration of President Mauricio Funes there. I doubt that what they would be feeling at the moment is ‘nostalgia’
Warwick Fry – Good for you! No doubt the US, Britain, Europe and Australian governments will speak out loudly about the rights of a democratically elected government etc. It’s annoying enough when the media insist on referring to Hugo Chavez and the govt owned media etc; (when there’s at least 70 media outlets that are privately owned, and openly against him, even to the point of supporting the coup against him – criminal acts in most countries – certainly here under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2005?.) The hypocrisy re Iran will be compounded by their silence, as it was when HAMAS was elected in Gaza – so much for democratic principles. I hope that the people in Central America take the necessary action to stop this coup before those responsible think they can bring about the 1970’s-80’s and the associated deaths, tortures and misery in many countries, including El Salvador, Chile, Venezuela, and others.
John Pilger’s “War on Democracy” is an educational and chilling documentation of the role of the US in these countries. It’s also interesting to note, that the US Military person ?? responsible for the murders etc in El Salvador was sent to Iraq prior to the commencement of the ‘civil unrest’ after the initial invasion. That’s when there were disappearances on both sides – Shia and Shi-ite. It’s just one of the many lessons taught at the “School of the Americas”. Many dictators in Central America proudly displayed their diplomas from this “school” during the years of the so-called civil unrest?(An experienced ex-CIA operative stated this.)There’s a good book called “American Torture” that charts the US torture program/s from the end of WW2 until a year or two ago. It’s chilling too – most informative – I doubt that the US will forgo torture under Obama – they’ve been ‘doing it’ for decades, probably longer!There hands are bloodied already, this smacks of US interference also! They’ve invaded or interfered in about 50 countries since the end of WW2!
Those of us who are familiar with the incredible social advances in the ALBA countries are in shock at another attempt by the US to do a “back door” coup in South America. The leader of the coup and military leader Romeo Vasquez is yet another graduate of the “school of the americas” torture training school, along with 11 other previous South American dictators.
Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is in a real bind, he has even refused to use the army against opposition and Columbian paramilitaries operating in his own country due not only to a strong desire not to give the USA an excuse (any excuse) but also because he knows that escalation of conflict never stops until a lot of innocents are dead. So he tries, moderately successfully so far, to use civil remedies to enforce his country’s laws.
How will he deal with Honduras, I dont know, I only hope that if there is an intervention by ALBA that the US keep their grubby little mitts out of it, If I wasn’t an atheist I would be praying for South America right now. Unlike the ABC , Crikey have been willing to report news of South America, no doubt taking a lead from Green Left Weekly, please keep giving South America Prominence.
Looks like lots of writers are aware of what is going on here. That is great. Pity the controlled media doesn’t have the the intestinal fortitude to cover it. Do you remember when they pulled this stunt with Chavez in 2002 and the people took to the streets and the rank and file army would not go along with it? Honduras being smaller may have been more easily “compromised”. I hope the South Americans do something about this! It looks like the “1910 Fruitgum Company” will be back in power in Honduras as quick as you can say Jack Robinson and the people will be driven back into slavery unless they take to the streets, again! Who now has suffered this fate in South America? Allende, Arbenz, Goulat, Torrijos, Roldos and on and on and. When is this going to stop? Pity the spirit of change in America doesn’t extend to foreign policy.