Word: coupes
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...result, any perceived indifference to Honduras on Obama's part could sour his start and make it harder to engage the region on matters Washington cares about, like drugs and trade. Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, who tacitly backed a failed coup attempt against Chávez in 2002, promised a new relationship with Latin America, but saw his free-trade plan for the hemisphere die and drug production soar. Now even moderate Latin leaders are decrying Washington's quiet efforts to use military bases in Colombia for U.S. antidrug operations; their pique will increase if they decide Honduras...
...broader risk is the signal a successful coup would send to other restless armies, from Guatemala to Bolivia. Costa Rican President and Nobel Peace laureate Oscar Arias, who is mediating talks between Zelaya and the coup leaders, has noted that Latin American military spending is almost double what it was five years ago, and that the region "continues to view armed forces as the final arbiter of social conflicts." For all the progress Latin Americans have made in electing their Presidents, they often fall back on old habits when removing them - whether it's oligarchies bidding soldiers...
...what should Obama be doing? The U.S. and Europe have each suspended almost $100 million in aid to Honduras, while the U.S. has canceled diplomatic visas for a few officials tied to the coup. But Honduras' provisional President, Roberto Micheletti, still insists that Zelaya's return is "impossible." To raise the heat, the U.S. needs to impose tougher economic sanctions (while remaining mindful of the 70% of Hondurans living in poverty), or enforce visa bans for a broader swath of the élite behind the coup. (See pictures of Barack Obama's family tree...
Obama also needs to stand up to U.S. conservatives who are hijacking the Honduras issue by claiming the coup was nothing of the sort. Republicans have protested Obama's position by blocking his appointments to top diplomatic posts. Because Zelaya had broken the law by trying to end Honduras' presidential term limit, they argue, the Honduran military did the right thing by saving the country from the ousted leader and the growing influence of his ally, Chávez. "By calling this a coup," said Florida Representative Connie Mack, "the Obama Administration now stands with the likes...
That's nonsense. Chávez led a failed coup in 1992 against then Venezuelan President Carlos Andrés Pérez, a U.S ally. Pérez too was a lawbreaker - he was later convicted for embezzlement. But had Chávez's coup succeeded, it would have been universally condemned, and rightly so. Honduras' coup leaders have more in common with Chávez than they care to admit. Obama says he doesn't stand with them. Now he has to work harder to ensure their coup doesn't stand...