Obama taking wrong stance on Honduras
Posted by Wellsy on June 29, 2009
Honduras President Zelaya with his pal Chavez.
President Obama, at first “deeply concerned” about the ouster of Honduras President Manuel Zelaya, has now said the “coup was not legal” and sets a terrible precedent of transition by military force. Despite Obama’s comments, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the administration hadn’t formally designated the ouster as a coup, which would trigger a cut-off of American aid to the Central American nation.
I agree with the President up to a point – transition by military force is a bad precedent to set, as the rule of law must stand in democratic nations. However, I see missing from any analysis a few simple facts: the actions of the military were authorized by the Supreme Court of Honduras, and power was promptly returned to civilian hands once Zelaya was out of the country. In addition, Zelaya was attempting to go forward with an explicitly illegal referendum that would have allowed him to run for longer than the Honduras Constitution allows (which is to say, not at all). The actions yesterday might be better termed, as Ed Morrisey calls it, “military impeachment.” The rule of law, it might be argued, was actually carried out in Honduras, albeit by a method we wouldn’t like to see become standard.
Simply reinstalling Zelaya would be a grave mistake, as Zelaya’s actions were opposed by the judiciary, the legislature, the military, and a majority of Zelaya’s own party. What seems sensible would be to return Zelaya to Honduras to stand trial or whatever impeachment proceedings would be necessary to “legitimize” the removal of the President who seems to have broken Honduran law. And elections are still scheduled to happen in November, making this a temporary situation that could go away if it doesn’t boil over.
There’s a curious nature to the full-throated denunciation of Zelaya’s ouster by Obama when coupled with his timid response to the Iranian democracy protests. While I appreciate on one level that “meddling” in Iran could be seen as destructive American interference, supportive words cost nothing, and the CIA is being blamed in Iran and Honduras regardless anyway. It’s why the “meddling” in this case doesn’t jive with the previous position, and it doesn’t jive with Latin American countries looking askance at the Monroe Doctrine and American hegemony in the Western Hemisphere. And the media has been awfully quick to name this straight-up a “coup” with all the accompanying violent connotations (absent in this case), without substantial mention of the mitigating circumstances that say that Zelaya might not have been such a great guy for Honduras after all. The potential reason might be to give a situation for Obama to look tough on foreign matters after bungling his response to Iran, but that’s just speculation on my part.
I’d urge the President to dial back on the illegality rhetoric (which, again, doesn’t seem to be such a big deal for Iran) and focus merely on the bad precedent for military action. He need not put himself squarely in the corner of a leftist President clearly interested in aggregating more power for himself – unfortunately, that’s exactly what he seems to be doing as the goal seems to be to get Zelaya back in charge. It’s a stance that puts him in agreement with Hugo Chavez, who has threatened military action, and it’s a side Obama frankly shouldn’t be on, especially in this case when the waters are murkier than most people think.
Mluna said
Estimados;
Soy una ciudadana hondureña, y quiero aprovechar este espacio para expresar mi opinión respecto a la situación actual de mi país.
La destitución del ex presidente Manuel Zelaya es un acto que demuestra que en nuestro país ningún ciudadano está por encima de las leyes ni siquiera un presidente de la nación.
El Sr. Zelaya no debió nunca atreverse a promover un referendo destinado a perpetuarse en el poder, ni a ignorar los fallos de los aparatos de justicia estatal que en reiteradas ocasiones le pidieron que desistiera de sus propósitos de llevara a cabo una consulta ilegal que no se apegaba a los mecanismos de consulta contemplados en nuestra legislación.
Ante la emisión de fallos judiciales de la Corte Suprema de Justicia, la Fiscalía y el Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) que declararon la consulta promovida por Zelaya como inconstitucional; la irresponsabilidad del ex presidente llego al punto de hacer constantes llamados públicos a la confrontación y polarización de la sociedad hondureña; creando las condiciones para su deposición violenta y cerrando todos los espacios posibles al dialogo.
Ante los reiterados desacatos a las órdenes judiciales y su irresponsable discurso chavista todas las fuerzas organizadas manifestaron públicamente la oposición a sus intensiones, oposición a la que con el pasar de los días se unieron además de la sociedad civil, grupos de mujeres organizadas, el comisionado de los derechos humanos, los reservistas de las fuerzas armadas, la confraternidad evangélica y la conferencia episcopal.
La más reciente violación a la institucionalidad del país por parte del ex presidente Zelaya fue la destitución del alto mando militar al negarse este último a acompañarlo en la realización de la ilegal consulta obedeciendo una orden emitida por juez competente que impedía al ejército a involucrarse en la realización de una encuesta ilegal. En este momento el Ministro de Defensa renuncio a su cargo en solidaridad con la cúpula militar.
Ante esta situación el Sr. Zelaya convoco a sus seguidores públicamente a seguirlo a “una misión” que llego la sede de la Fuerza Aérea Hondureña a tomar por la fuerza el material electoral que se utilizaría en la consulta; (dicho material ingreso en dudosa circunstancias al país en una aeronave de la aerolínea nacional de Venezuela CONVIASA) en el mismo momento en que los miembros del Tribunal Supremo Electoral se disponía a decomisar dicho material electoral, por considerar que la encuesta violenta las competencias de dicho organismo.
Las violaciones a la ley del ex presidente Zelaya no se limitan a las anteriormente expuestas, en un hecho sin precedentes en el país hasta el día de su deposición violenta, Honduras no contaba con un presupuesto vigente para el ejercicio fiscal del año 2009; en un hecho que ha sido interpretado por todos los hondureños como el cheque en blanco que el ex presidente extendió a todos sus seguidores para financiar las acciones a favor de la encuesta y la promoción de la misma.
Pedimos a los medios de prensa internacional que no solo enfoquen sus reportajes en lo sucedido ayer por la mañana sino que para emitir sus criterios y opiniones revisen en el pasado inmediato todas las acciones ilegales llevadas a cabo en el país por el ex presidente Zelaya bajo la tutela del presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez; de esta manera confirmaran que lo sucedido pudo evitarse con un poco de sensatez de parte del Sr. Zelaya y si el mismo hubiese decidido anteponer los intereses de nuestra nación ante sus propios intereses ideológicos y personales.
Wellsy said
Thanks, Mluna. For those who don’t speak Spanish (or, like me, aren’t very good at it), here’s the Babelfish translation of Mluna’s post:
Considered; I am a Honduran citizen, and I want to take advantage of this space to express my opinion with respect to the present situation of my country.
The destitution of ex- president Manuel Zelaya is an act that demonstrates that in our country no citizen is over the laws not even a president of the nation.
Mr. Zelaya did not have to never dare to promote referendo destined to be perpetuated in the power, nor to ignore the failures of the apparatuses of state justice that in reiterated occasions asked to him that it stopped of his intentions of carried out an illegal consultation that was not become attached to the contemplated mechanisms of consultation in our legislation.
Before the emission of judicial failures of the Supreme Court of Justice, the Office of the public prosecutor and the Electoral Supreme Court (TSE) that declared the consultation promoted by Zelaya like unconstitutional; the irresponsibility of the ex- president I arrive at the point to make constants called public to the confrontation and polarization of the Honduran society; creating the conditions for its violent deposition and closing all the possible spaces to the dialogue.
Before the repeated disrespects to the judicial orders and their irresponsible chavista speech all the organized forces publicly indicated the opposition to their intensities, opposition to which with happening of the days they were united besides the civil society, groups of organized women, the commissioner of the human rights, the reservists of the Armed Forces, the evangelical confraternidad and the episcopal conference.
The most recent violation to the institutionality of the country on the part of ex- president Zelaya was the destitution of the military High Command when refusing this last one to accompany it in the accomplishment by the illegal consultation being obeyed an order emitted by competent judge who prevented the army to become jumbled in the accomplishment of an illegal survey.At this moment the Minister of Defense I resign to its position in solidarity with the military cupola.
Before this situation Mr. Zelaya I summon its followers publicly to follow it “a mission” who I arrive soothes of the Honduran Air Force to take by the force the electoral material that would be used in the consultation; (this material entrance in doubtful circumstances to the country in an airship of the national airline of Venezuela CONVIASA) at the same moment at which the members of the Electoral Supreme Court get ready to seize this electoral material, to consider that the survey does violence to the competitions of this organism.
The violations to the law of ex- president Zelaya are not limited previously exposed, in a fact without precedents in the country until the day of their violent deposition, Honduras did not count on an effective budget for the fiscal year of year 2009; in a fact that has been interpreted by all the Hondurans like the check in target that the ex- president extended all followers to finance the actions in favor of the survey and the promotion of the same.
We ask to the means of international press that not only focus their news articles in the happened thing in the morning yesterday but to emit its criteria and opinions they review the past in immediate all the carried out illegal actions in the country by ex- president Zelaya under the trusteeship of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez; this way they would confirm that the happened thing could be avoided with a little good sense from Mr. Zelaya and if the same had decided to put in front the interests of our nation before its own ideological and personal interests.
Mr Pink Eyes said
You did bring up a great point about how the fact that Zelaya was illegally trying to hold onto power is not really being reported. Obama seems to have a knack for taking the worng side on foregn affairs. In Hoduras he sides with a man who refused to abide by his country’s constitution and is trying to hold onto power and in Iran he doesn’t stand up with the protesters fighting for freedom.
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Scott said
I would hope that any democracy faced with a President who openly violates not only the law, but the Supreme Court (If you are a Democrat, Bush at least listened to the Supreme Court) would be removed by the military if the Supreme Court told them to remove him. I doubt that would be necessary as the Vice President (being a politician) would be very quick to take over if he was impeached by Congress.
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ANA said
I HOPE THE WORLD OPEN THE EYES AND THE EARS TO THE TRUE .EVERYTHING THAT ZELAYA SAID TO THE WORLD IS A LIE. PLEASE, READ THE NEWSPAPERS OF HONDURAS , THE HERALD.HN ,LA PRENSA.HN . CHAVEZ ,ZELAYA THEY ARE THE SAME THING.
Steve said
Mluna,
Usted a puesto a nuestra disposicion un excelente articulo, respaldado con hechos y referencias legales..en resumen: El Zelaya es un chavista empujado por agentes Venezolanos.
Un punto de importancia me da pausa.. que le habra (o quien) dado la impresion a Zelaya que el pueblo, y las Fuerzas Armadas lo apoyarian en esta locura ideologica?
Gracias por su opinion y analisis.
Wellsy said
Thanks, Steve. Again, here is a Babelfish translation for the Spanish-impaired:
Mluna,
You make available an excellent article, endorsed with legal facts and references. .en summary: The Zelaya is a chavista pushed by Venezuelan agents.
An importance point gives pause me. that he has (or that) given the impression to Zelaya that the town, and they apoyarian it to the Armed Forces in this ideological madness? Thanks for its opinion and analysis.