Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Obama on Honduras: Getting it wrong--again

The Obama administration said Wednesday it has suspended joint military operations with Honduras to protest a coup that forced President Manuel Zelaya into exile. The U.S. withheld stronger action in hopes of negotiating a peaceful return of the country's elected leader.

The administration appeared to be counting on the threat of Honduras having its OAS membership suspended as leverage in getting Zelaya back in power. While the administration joined the OAS in calling for Zelaya's unconditional return, with no limits on his presidential powers, it also seemed open to some form of compromise.

I have been absolutely aghast (though not terribly surprised) at the position the Obama administration has taken on the recent deposition of the president of Honduras--a position that puts Obama squarely in line with dictators Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro. News accounts of how this episode in Honduras began are now falling off the radar of the mainstream media. But Reuters provides this bit of background:
World leaders from President Barack Obama to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have told the new rulers of the Central American country to restore Zelaya, a leftist who was toppled by the army on Sunday and sent into exile after a dispute over presidential term limits.

Translation: "a dispute over presidential term limits" means Zelaya was trying to make himself into a dictator, and he was deposed for his attempt to subvert the Honduran Constitution by the military with the support of the Honduran people, the Congress, and the courts. As the Reuters account also states:
Public support for Zelaya, a wealthy businessman, had dropped as low as 30 percent in recent months, with many Hondurans uncomfortable over his tilt to the left in a country with a longtime conservative, pro-Washington position.

Yes, Zelaya had been tilting toward the left--in the direction of Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro--and why shouldn't he? Leftist leaders from Latin America are now on the White House "A" List. They're best buds with Obama!

The poor Honduran people who have been faithful allies of the United States for decades haven't gotten the message that there is a new Socialist Sheriff in Washington. "Communism good; capitalism bad."

Now, of course, with Obama signaling that he wants to see Zelaya returned to power, the Organization of American States (OAS) can clearly tell which way the wind is blowing and is making threats against Honduras. Worse still, Chavez may take Obama's signal as an okay to use military intervention to restore Zelaya to power.

So, thanks to the President of the United States, we may witness a war in Central America to insert a Socialist dictator into power and to transfer a nation that was once the US' staunchest ally in the region into the camp of Chavez and Castro. Is anybody paying attention?

Pray for the people of Honduras!
 

6 comments:

John Park said...

Thank you, Bob. It seems that 80% of the population are supporting the current goverment. There have been very peaceful demonstrations by tens of thousands in each of several cities,as opposed to the 200 pro-Zevala hooligans who went on a rampage the other day. It was not a militar coup, it was a carrying out of the public democratic will, as anyone knows who was following the situation before last Sunday.

Vigilante said...

Is it not true that the Honduran constitution, which contains 375 articles, can be amended by a two-thirds majority vote in congress? However, there are eight “firm articles” which cannot be amended. These include presidential term limits, system of government that is permitted and process of presidential succession. Since the president has the ability to amend the remaining 368 provisions by means of a congressional majority, some have called into question what the president’s true intentions may be.

This seems to be a thinly disguised attempt to grab power through a Chavez-type populist putsch.

Jonathan said...

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0702/p09s03-coop.html

Vigilante said...

An excellent Link! Thanks!

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for taking the time to understand what is goin on in Honduras. I am a peacefull protester against Zelaya. We dont' want him back, can't OAS see thant restoring that man back into power would cause a massacre? What if it is like you said, an OK for Chavez to use military forces to restore him to power? We will suffer big time.... Im so worried wbout my country, I can only hope that countries with real democracies, Not venezuela or Cuba, come in our aid, investigate and help us!!! please spread the word among americans to help us, brother to brother!

Vigilante said...

Ruben, Post it yourself! On my Blog! I need more voices like yours!