To my surprise I woke up this morning at the news that the Honduran military had effectively taken control of Honduras by deporting President Manuel Zelaya and detaining 8 of his ministers as well as briefly kidnapping Ecuadorian, Venezuelan, Cuban and Nicaraguan diplomats. I just couldn't believe it, is it that somebody had enough balls to stand up and carry out truly radical action against this demagogue and his allies?
The now official coup d'etat is ridden with violations of international law(specially regarding the diplomats) as well as a partial suspension of electricity and the occupation of a news channel sympathetic to now former president Zelaya. A worrisome display of force by the Honduran military, it was a testament to the fragility of democratic governments in small latin american countries as well as the ever-present threat of armed insubordination in relationship to civil societies.
Yesterday Zelaya, while thinking the worst was over after his military commander refused to follow orders and carry out an illegal government run-and-paid poll, sat on the presidential palace surrounded by civilians of all kinds who expressed their solidarity to him, including children and a breast-feeding mother. The rather bizarre scene of the president being shielded by civilians had Zelaya commenting to El Pais of Spain his gratitude to the US government who according to him was one of the few political forces responsible for stopping the what was thought to be an aborted coup. He also lamented how Honduran civil society had to struggle for 30 years to subordinate the military to the state of law, and how the military's duty was to follow its president, the man elected by the people, his people. He layed there, strangely, in an scene of mixed international pauperism and pathetic solicitation; this only continues with his now public interviews from Costa Rica dressed in the same pajamas that he was wearing when he was deposed.
It is important to emphasize on Zelaya's reflections on the state of his country, after all his best ally is Hugo Chavez. Zelaya calls him a "democrat" and the Venezuelan government has supplied all the ballots for the government run polling, now effectively cancelled. But how is it that the same man who is now denouncing the usurpation of Honduran military power is the same man who considers Chavez a man of democracy? Chavez is notorious for his glorification of military power. He himself organized and leaded a massive military coup d'etat in 1992 that left 30 dead and constantly preached that the military is indeed the cornerstone to preserve his revolution. He shows up in uniform, leads military parades and commands the troops in protocolar ceremonies. He has never regretted his actions in 1992 and recalls it as a heroic epic ? Now this is the man that Zelaya has picked to empathize with his grievances against the honduran military caste and its bringing results.
Hugo Chavez has promised to "depose by whatever means necessary" whoever now becomes leader of Honduras, and has threatened with military action if his embassy or his diplomats are either harmed or kidnapped. According to him, any agression to his diplomats will be considered a "de-facto declaration of war" and he will not stand aside. The Venezuelan military, heavily re-armed and ever present in Venezuelan politics is "on-alert".
If Zelaya is concerned with rejecting military rule as the leader of the honduran civil society then he should reconsider keeping silent at the foolish chavista bark of military intervention. If Latin Americans are so preoccupied with ridding itself from American interventionism then whoever carries any common sense will recognize the opportunism that Chavez has assumed in this whole crisis and he himself should be denounced.
The fact of the matter is that Chavez will not be denounced by Zelaya, and he, like a powerless fool will only stand there letting the ecuadorians, nicaraguans and venezuelan do all the barking for him. It is because of this that the Honduran military has taken radical action, action against a new kind of Venezuelan lead foreign hegemony that is delinquent and cohercive. Latin American countries are naturally scared at the spectre of a new wave of military coups and have reacted unanimously against it. But with Venezuela's meddling in every latin american country, sometimes you will get violent insurrections against its presence. I now recognize that I am not surprised AT ALL by it and people in general should understand it in the same manner that people understand the rise of Chavez in Venezuela, action leads to reaction. Too much for the Chavista caste, lets see if they really have the balls to do anything - I doubt it.
The now official coup d'etat is ridden with violations of international law(specially regarding the diplomats) as well as a partial suspension of electricity and the occupation of a news channel sympathetic to now former president Zelaya. A worrisome display of force by the Honduran military, it was a testament to the fragility of democratic governments in small latin american countries as well as the ever-present threat of armed insubordination in relationship to civil societies.
Yesterday Zelaya, while thinking the worst was over after his military commander refused to follow orders and carry out an illegal government run-and-paid poll, sat on the presidential palace surrounded by civilians of all kinds who expressed their solidarity to him, including children and a breast-feeding mother. The rather bizarre scene of the president being shielded by civilians had Zelaya commenting to El Pais of Spain his gratitude to the US government who according to him was one of the few political forces responsible for stopping the what was thought to be an aborted coup. He also lamented how Honduran civil society had to struggle for 30 years to subordinate the military to the state of law, and how the military's duty was to follow its president, the man elected by the people, his people. He layed there, strangely, in an scene of mixed international pauperism and pathetic solicitation; this only continues with his now public interviews from Costa Rica dressed in the same pajamas that he was wearing when he was deposed.
It is important to emphasize on Zelaya's reflections on the state of his country, after all his best ally is Hugo Chavez. Zelaya calls him a "democrat" and the Venezuelan government has supplied all the ballots for the government run polling, now effectively cancelled. But how is it that the same man who is now denouncing the usurpation of Honduran military power is the same man who considers Chavez a man of democracy? Chavez is notorious for his glorification of military power. He himself organized and leaded a massive military coup d'etat in 1992 that left 30 dead and constantly preached that the military is indeed the cornerstone to preserve his revolution. He shows up in uniform, leads military parades and commands the troops in protocolar ceremonies. He has never regretted his actions in 1992 and recalls it as a heroic epic ? Now this is the man that Zelaya has picked to empathize with his grievances against the honduran military caste and its bringing results.
Hugo Chavez has promised to "depose by whatever means necessary" whoever now becomes leader of Honduras, and has threatened with military action if his embassy or his diplomats are either harmed or kidnapped. According to him, any agression to his diplomats will be considered a "de-facto declaration of war" and he will not stand aside. The Venezuelan military, heavily re-armed and ever present in Venezuelan politics is "on-alert".
If Zelaya is concerned with rejecting military rule as the leader of the honduran civil society then he should reconsider keeping silent at the foolish chavista bark of military intervention. If Latin Americans are so preoccupied with ridding itself from American interventionism then whoever carries any common sense will recognize the opportunism that Chavez has assumed in this whole crisis and he himself should be denounced.
The fact of the matter is that Chavez will not be denounced by Zelaya, and he, like a powerless fool will only stand there letting the ecuadorians, nicaraguans and venezuelan do all the barking for him. It is because of this that the Honduran military has taken radical action, action against a new kind of Venezuelan lead foreign hegemony that is delinquent and cohercive. Latin American countries are naturally scared at the spectre of a new wave of military coups and have reacted unanimously against it. But with Venezuela's meddling in every latin american country, sometimes you will get violent insurrections against its presence. I now recognize that I am not surprised AT ALL by it and people in general should understand it in the same manner that people understand the rise of Chavez in Venezuela, action leads to reaction. Too much for the Chavista caste, lets see if they really have the balls to do anything - I doubt it.
Chavez, the man in uniform, with the men in uniform
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