You may not have noticed but there was a coup in the Central American country of Honduras.
What happened? The military went in and removed a democratically elected president, Manuel Zelaya, according to Human Rights Watch.
One of the reasons he may have been removed is that he wanted to change the law so the president could serve more than a four-year term.
That doesn't seem like an unreasonable request. In our country, we allow a president to serve two terms.
Zelaya, who was removed by the military and flown to Costa Rica, should be reinstated as president. The Obama Administration has done the right thing by condemning the coup and so has the president of the United Nations General Assembly, Miguel d'Escoto.
It was thought that the days of coups had since passed in Central America. This is the first one in the post-Cold War era.
But why does this matter to us in the United States?
Honduras coup is a blow to democracy
When countries are unstable it can result in increased immigration to
the United States. Honduras has per capita gross national income of
$1,635, and is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, according to the U.S. State Department.
Honduras is a member of the Central American Free Trade Agreement and is the United States is its main trading partner with two-way trade of more than $7 billion in 2006. So any political instability threatens their relationship with the U.S.
President Zelaya is a leftist and a friend of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, who also has called for him to be reinstated.
But those who know the history of right-wing military juntas know how they have long undermined democracy in the region. We can't allow them to stand.
Hopefully, the world will take notice and pressure those in Honduras to restore their rightful president.
Honduras is a member of the Central American Free Trade Agreement and is the United States is its main trading partner with two-way trade of more than $7 billion in 2006. So any political instability threatens their relationship with the U.S.
President Zelaya is a leftist and a friend of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, who also has called for him to be reinstated.
But those who know the history of right-wing military juntas know how they have long undermined democracy in the region. We can't allow them to stand.
Hopefully, the world will take notice and pressure those in Honduras to restore their rightful president.
3 Comments
bonnie mcgrath said:
i am ashamed to say i knew nothing about this coup; thanks for posting this information. now i know!
excanbrit said:
I now call Honduras home (retired here) and the coup seems to be justified. Zelaya has indeed been attempting to change the constitution to allow himself to remain as president. Not as a re-elected president. More like an African "President for life".
He has illegally used funds from government pension plans to advertize his intentions to the uneducated masses. He has passed (thankfully reversed by senate) laws without debate (usually over long weekends when no parliamentarians are sitting!)
Since he took office the country has suffered serious economic set-backs. All in all the man is suffering from delusions of grandeur. Good riddance I say!!!
Diws said:
Zelaya was attempting to make Honduras into a proxy for Chavez, and illegally called the referrendum. When the military refused to distribute the ballots, Zelaya led a mob that broke into the military facility that held the ballots. When the military detained him, they were acting on a court order. This is not some military coup: it was a restoring of the constitutional order that the president was usurping. And now that Chavistas want to interfere in Honduras' internal affairs.
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