A coup in the Americas : Why Honduras matters

Honduras with 7 million people and over 11,000 sq miles is hardly themost important country in the world, but in America’s world, there can hardly be found a more important testing ground for the Obama doctrine of “America’s constructive engagement with respect and through consultations”. Central America has had a tortured history as has much of south America through the ages, and the nations are just beginning to develop democratic institutions and processes, until many of the leading democratically elected leaders began to ask for more.

Hugo Chaves of Venezuela found a way to perpetually extend his stay in power beyond his original mandate and now run his oil rich nation with close to an iron fist, courting the rubrics of Castro’s half century rule in nearby Cuba. Bolivia’s Evo Morales took  note of Chavez’s antics and has shown a propensity to move in similar direction.

Down in Argentina, the Kirchener’s found a way  to keep themselves in power by rotating power between husband and wife. But these anti people shenanigans is hardly the worst of the evil that emanates from the south of the border of the United States. The problem was the long term American policy, stemming from the cold war, of active engagement to the detriment of the central and southern America nations, so long as the interests of the United States is advanced. Coup after Coups in the south were sponsored by the CIA and other agents of the US government from the 1950s through the end of the cold war. And America did not stop there, it conducted several raids in Nicaragua and Panama, seizing sitting heads of states and bringing them to justice in American court. In those days, the sovereignty of central American countries had no value in America.

Today, however, things seems to be changing. Despite the spirited rhetorics of Hugo Chavez, George Bush refrained largely from actively doing anything to depose him, choosing instead to let the Venezuelans control their own destiny and determine who and how they want to be governed, even when the process not only stinks but is also manipulated by an American hater (bad governance had not always been an excuse for American intervention. Only American interest had). But American interest seems like a shifting target in the last decade or so and the Obama presidency seems as much confused about what that is as it seems to be resolute. Indeed, this has always been America’s forte in foreign affairs: a mixture of pragmatism and ideology.

The American president, Obama has chosen a path that seeks to openly define American interest in the rest of the world around core American national interest, rather than some convoluted but erratic global agenda. In the past, American actions seems directed more by paranoia; the fear of a world populated by communist states that threaten to ultimately swallow the American lone capitalism. With the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and Chinese embrace of elements of free markets and the relative counter weights of American loving India to potential Chinese adventurism, America seems relatively free to define a clearer foreign policy: One that unabashedly promote American national interest. Obama in his tepid responses to the Iranian farce of an election reminder the listeners that while democracy might be a great and exciting concept, American national security interest (read no nuclear powered Iran) is far more important.

In Honduras, the US interests seems more murky.  Jose Manuel ZELAYA Rosale, President until late last week was scheming (taking same playbook from Chavez) to perpetuate himself in office beyond his original constitutional mandate. Zelaya was going to con the people into giving him a perpetual blank cheque through a court bared referendum.  Zaleya’s actions were illegal and he was simply carrying on in the spirit of George Bush; the President is above the law. The only way he could be ousted was with the support of the Honduras army, which was itself really pissed after the sacking of its chief and the defense minister, both of whom do not agree with Zaleya’s ambition to be emperor. And the Army did not disappoint. But the army coup is as illegal as Zaleya’s impending flagrant  violation of a court order.

In the past, America would have turned it face the other way since the government being removed from power is not exactly how America would like to see a nation governed. Zaleya’s government is lefty and hardly the epitome of capitalism. Zaleya is also a crony of Chavez, a once rabid American hater (not the people, just the leaders; after all Venezuelan owned Citgo is one of America’s leading gasoline charities). But doing so would make Chavez’s argument that the continent continues to be lorded over by the evil empire to the north.

Zaleya’s impending referendum is illegal, but it was relying on the people for its outcome. The coup is also illegal, but it simply relies on the gun. So one illegality is more equal than the other. The world has suffered enough under the brunt of illegal governments from Africa to south Asia to south and central America. Coup’s are not only bad, they are contagious too. But if the events in Bolivia and Honduras are anything to go by, so is the referendum to self perpetuate. But how does America respond?

Once again, Obama came out demonstrating a signature caution. He refrained from giving orders from his bully pulpit as the famed “Decider” once used to. He avoided sermonizing and demonstrated his clear understanding of history. However, his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton has since called for the reinstatement of Zaleya , while calling for the deposed president to also honor the spirit of the Honduras law.Any whaffling by America on the legality of the Honduras coup will be a sanction to other ambitious criminals in other nations across the globe that they return to the hay days of the last four decades of the twentieth century: A period of rampant coup making and illegal governments that emanated from the gun and subjected the people to massive national riches looting and government by maniacs from PolPot to Ida Amin. Honduras power struggle must be left to be decided by the people and legal structures and not through the barrels of a gun. The Honduras congress must have an alternative mechanism to depose an unruly and law breaking president without the use of a gun.

According to standing Honduras law (an no coup edict should be recognize by the world), Jose Manuel ZELAYA Rosale remains the president of Honduras until the end of his current term which does not end until March of 2010.  Surely, the coup makers and their backers can wait another 9 months and use the ballot box to remove the President if the people agree with them.

The illegality in Honduras must not stand. It will send to much encouragement to others across the world, who wish to go in the same direction. National constitutions must mean something and there is no sovereignty that does not include the people. No nation is sovereign in itself. And that is what the coup makers in Tegucigalpa must be made to understand.

To make the case, everyone involved in the coup should be immediately ostracized from the international community. Efforts should be made to not punish innocent and ordinary Hondurans. It is great news that the United Nations has condemned the actions in Tegucigalpa and called for the return of the nation’s wounded President.

America’s leadership and tone must be right. The world needs an unambiguous leader and only one country is able to fit that bill in every way conceivable today. However, the nation must set the right tone that does not demonstrate any imperialistic tendencies. US is not the boss of any other nation, just the leader in the comity of nations. American security interest can be in line with the aspiration of the peoples of the world if framed properly and democracy and freedom is not antithetical to those aspirations.

Where possible, the US should engage other nations to advance democracy, freedom and the rule of law. Honduras must be an example of respectable American leadership. The message from Honduras should be clear to Iranians and others across the world. America wants to live in peace with the rest of the world, but this must be within the ambits of respectable sovereignty of the people. Nations must live under fair laws that respect the freedom and aspirations of their people.

Honduras, and what happens there in the coming days does matter to all this.