U.S. Treads Softly As Region Weighs In On Honduras

[Judi Lynn]

Published: Jul 17, 2009
U.S. Treads Softly As Region Weighs In On Honduras
by Tim Gaynor -Analysis

Latin America was for decades seen as the United States' "back yard" -- a theater where it imposed its will often at the barrel of a gun.
But since Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was snatched from his home in his pajamas and spirited out of the country by the military on June 28, Washington has played an uncharacteristically low-key role.

President Barack Obama, who is seeking to mend U.S.-Latin American ties that were often strained under predecessor George W. Bush, immediately condemned the coup as illegal and joined international calls for Zelaya's reinstatement.

Obama has candidly noted -- upending an old Washington dictum for Latin American policy that "he may be a sonofabitch, but he is our sonofabitch" -- that leftist Zelaya might be strongly opposed to U.S. policy, but that shouldn't undercut democratic principles.

~snip~
The last Democrat in the White House, former President Bill Clinton, sent troops to put ousted Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide back in power in 1994. Intervention is not seen as an option in Honduras, and a U.S. congressional leader favors applying pressure by other means.

In an opinion column this week, Senator John Kerry
, a Democrat and chairman of the Foreign Services Committee, said the administration should step up sanctions, so far limited to cutting $16.5 million in military aid and the threat to slash $180 million more in civilian aid.

"If those who overthrew Zelaya remain intransigent, we must look at additional cuts, without harming the poor more than Honduran politicians already have," Kerry wrote in the Miami Herald newspaper.

"In addition, we should consider pursuing punitive measures -- including suspending travel visas
-- for anyone involved in suppressing the Honduran people," he added.

More:
http://www.postchronicle.com/news/breakingnews/article_212244968.shtml?ref=rss

[Judi Lynn]

1. Zelaya supporters rally in the streets

Zelaya supporters rally in the streets
Noe Leiva
July 18, 2009 - 7:09AM

Thousands of supporters of ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya have again blocked key roads amid talk that their leader would soon return to Honduras.

For a second day running, members of the Popular Resistance movement shut down a stretch of highway leading north from the capital on Friday. Riot police wearing heavy protective gear monitored the crowd in the sweltering heat, but did not intervene.

Pro-Zelaya demonstrators also cut off traffic between Honduras' second city, San Pedro Sula, and the port city of Puerto Cortes, and blocked a highway that tied up traffic to and from neighbouring El Salvador and Guatemala.

Interim Honduran leader Roberto Micheletti reimposed a late-night curfew on Thursday to curb disturbances by Zelaya supporters that have shaken the country following the June 28 military-supported coup.

More:
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-world/zelaya-supporters-rally-in-the-streets-20090718-dojt.html