Mess in Honduras
Political week continues at DinnerTopics.com:
Honduras is basically, to put it plainly, a big, fat mess right now. What happened?
- There was a coup on Sunday and the military forced the president, Manuel Zelaya, out of the country. They dumped him into exile in Costa Rica. World leaders, including President Obama and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, condemned the move. So did the UN and OAS (Organization of American States).
- Later on Sunday, the Honduran Congress hastily met and voted Roberto Micheletti in as the new President.
- As the Congress met, military troops moved through the city and surrounded the presidential palace and other government buildings. Power, phone lines, international TV, and electricity were all cut off.
- On Monday, Zelaya announced his decision to return. Argentine President Cristina Fernandez and the head of OAS, José Miguel Insulza, said they would accompany him. Leftist leaders Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela met in Nicaragua to defend him.
- On Tuesday, the OAS (kind of like the UN for South and Central America) issued a resolution condemning the coup and stating that Zelaya must return to Honduras within 72 hours, or Honduras would be expelled from the OAS.
- Other countries join in their condemnation: Venezuela says it will suspend oil shipments, and El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua all say they will stop all overland trade. Micheletti vows to arrest Zelaya if he returns.
- Zelaya speaks at the UN General Assembly in New York, describing his arrest and calling for international support.
This is the first time in a very long time that something like this has happened in Central America. This will be the first big test for the Obama administration’s policy of seeking a more diplomatic role in the region. Obama does not want to appear like he is meddling. Zelaya represents the Latin America’s Leftist movement, which has gathered strength in recent years and is often at odds with U.S. interests. In Honduras, like in other Latin American countries, democratic institutions like universities and labor unions are weak, creating a vacuum for these Leftist/Marxist to take charge.
The 72 hours expire on Thursday. What will happen next? Will Zelaya return? Will Micheletti let him? Now that you know the basic outline, you can make sense of what you may be hearing on the radio, on TV news reports, and on television about these ongoing events.
Extra Credit: What is the capital of Honduras?
Tegucigalpa, pronounced “tay GU chee GAL pah.” It’s an Mayan word meaning, “Silver Mountain.”
Read on:
CSMonitor.com – Leftist leaders hold emergency meeting over Honduras coup
LATimes.com – Honduran president ousted in coup; replacement is named
WashingtonPost.com – Honduras Targets Protesters With Emergency Decree
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Thanks for the overview! I had seen the headlines, but not read about the details. This is more interesting than a soap opera!