Honduran Coup and US Ambiguity

This Real News broadcast features an illuminating report from Forrest Hylton on the attitude of the US towards the coup in Honduras. "The silence from Washington over the past month of human rights abuses from the de facto Honduran government becomes deafening when one considers that the US government holds both the ability to bring that regime down as well as a recent history of criticizing similar abuses in Iran. Groups inside the US have taken up the call to pressure the government into taking the action required by US law in addressing a military coup. Forrest Hylton is the author of Evil Hour in Colombia (Verso, 2006), and with Sinclair Thomson, co-author of Revolutionary Horizons: Past and Present in Bolivian Politics (Verso, 2007). He is a regular contributor to New Left Review and NACLA Report on the Americas."

With the Hondoran coup reminiscent of the dark days of the 70's and 80's in Latin America now over five weeks old, tensions are high inside the country itself and finally rising in international politics. The legitimate president Zelaya is trying all avenues to restore democracy, from the International Criminal Court to mobilising his people. While most countries have officially denounced the coup, apparently including president Obama who said he would follow the lead of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in opposing the coup regime. However, US foreign secretary Hillary Clinton has no use for the word coup. Using this word carries legal implications under US law to stop all aid to Honduras and recall the US Ambassador. Since the coup regime hired Lanny Davis, who served as White House counsel for President Bill Clinton, and Bennet Ratcliff, a public relations specialist with ties to former President Bill Clinton, Hillary has started to denounce president Zelaya as 'reckless' for trying to return to his country. According to Clinton, Zelaya would do better to simply keep negotiating with the 'current government'.

As news on Honduras is somewhat harder to come by than on Iran, I thought I'd post some links to good starting points for further research into what is happening in Honduras right now. I found some overviews of news on Honduras from the Real News and Democracy Now, who did several exclusive interviews with Zelaya and his wife. The archives of The Nation Magazine and venezuelanalysis.com also proved interesting sources of information.