Thanks to a reader for calling my attention to the ongoing spasms of vindictiveness in the U.S. policy towards Honduras.
As noted in numerous posts here, the U.S. tried to force the return to power of Chavista and wannabe President-for-Life Manuel Zelaya. Only through the resoluteness of the Honduran people and government were Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama kept from achieving Zelaya’s return.
I thought that it was over, as far at the U.S. was concerned, when it was reported that Clinton was seeking to convince other Latin American nations, which had followed the U.S. lead in refusing to recognize the government of Honduras, to reverse course.
But apparently when it comes to the hurt egos of this administration, it never really is over (sound familiar, Mr. Netanyahu?).
As reported by the Wall Street Journal a few days ago, the tenacity of the Obama administration’s vendetta against Honduras was driven by the fact that Republicans had sided with those who removed Zelaya at the behest of the Honduran Supreme Court. (The Obama administration denies this, per the article.)
Four months after a presidential election, reports from Honduras suggest the Obama administration remains obsessed with repairing its foreign-policy image by regaining the upper hand. The display of raw colonialist hubris is so pronounced that locals now refer to U.S. ambassador Hugo Llorens as “the proconsul.”
Washington’s bullying is two-pronged. First is a maniacal determination to punish those involved in removing Mr. Zelaya. Second is an attempt to force Honduras to allow Mr. Zelaya, who now lives in the Dominican Republic, to return without facing any repercussions for the illegal actions that provoked his removal. Both goals are damaging the bilateral relationship, polarizing the nation and raising the risk of a resurgence of political violence.
La Gringa’s Blogicito has more on internal turmoil in Honduras resulting from the continued push to assure that Zelaya can return to Honduras without fear of prosecution, even for non-political offenses.
What really is going on with U.S. policy towards Honduras?
It appears that the institutional vendetta is not over, and that the Obama administration still wants to make an example of Honduras.
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Related Posts:
Honduras Follows The Law
I Hope Obama Fails In Honduras
We Are All Bibi Netanyahu Now
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