Was the governing style of Honduran President Mel Zelaya prior to his ouster paradigmatic of a new and more far reaching moment of “caudillismo” in Latin America? The Wall Street Journal says perhaps it was, arguing that many who have backed de facto President Roberto Micheletti believe that “Mr. Zelaya was a dictator in the making, a modern-day caudillo, or strongman, who wanted to rewrite Honduran law to stay in power, perhaps indefinitely.” The paper maintains that perhaps Latin America’s single most important contribution to political science is the caudillo strongman with examples coming in all ideological stripes from Castro to Pinochet and going all the way back to Santa Anna in Mexico. Interestingly, the WSJ goes on to say there is an important distinction, however, between modern day caudillos and their predecessors. “While a dictator usually relies on brute force to keep power, modern caudillos use a combination of personal magnetism, patronage—and sometimes, selective brute force” to stay in office. And moreover, “While democracy has spread throughout Latin America [in the post-Cold War period,” the paper writes…“Gone is the old-fashioned military coup, replaced with a new strategy for power that could be called ‘coup by stealth,’ or ‘coup by democratic means.’” But there are no doubt differences, even amongst caudillos. According to Peter Kornbluh of the National Security Archive, “the Pinochets of the world supported the type of people who sent Zelaya out in his pajamas. In ousting a democratically elected leader, the Honduran establishment strayed further from democracy than Mr. Zelaya did in attempting to stay.” Meanwhile, back from history to events on-going in Honduras, the supposed “caudillo” the WSJ writes about has given Roberto Micheletti one week to hand back the presidency, saying he is prepared to risk bloodshed. While in Nicaragua, Mel Zelaya accused Micheletti of sabotaging negotiations in Costa Rica in an attempt to hold power until next fall’s elections. “Let me come back -- me with the people and you with your bayonets,” said Zelaya. “And instead of shooting innocent kids, shoot me.” The Micheletti government has yet to be recognized by a single country in the world. The LA Times writes that if Zelaya is not returned to power it’s not caudillismo that is on its way back but rather a different history in Latin America: one in which coups are seen as a legitimate way of resolving problems. “The question,” the LAT writes, “is how to get him [Zelaya] there against implacable opposition from the political elites.”
The LA Times also reports this morning on Human Rights Watch’s demand that the Obama administration not release tens of millions of dollars in aid to Mexico, scheduled under the Mérida Initiative, due to recent reports of human rights violations by the country’s military. “Mexico's military courts had failed to bring to justice troops responsible for a ‘rapidly growing number of serious abuses,’” the human rights group wrote Sec. of State Hillary Clinton this week. Fifteen percent of the total Mérida money is contingent upon human rights reporting, and one such condition is that civilian authorities are investigating and prosecuting alleged abuses by troops and federal police “in accordance with Mexican and international law.”
Cuba and the U.S. will restart migration talks today in New York City, reports the Miami Herald, the latest move in what many hope are improved relations with the Caribbean island. The talks had been ended during the Bush era. Craig Kelly, a deputy assistant secretary of state, is expected to lead the U.S. delegation, according to congressional sources, while Dagoberto Rodriguez, a Cuban foreign ministry official and former head of the Cuban Interests Section will do the negotiating for the Cubans. The agenda for the meeting will be “solely migration issues, including the ability of U.S. diplomats to follow up on the status of Cubans returned to the island; U.S. access to deep water ports for repatriation purposes, and Cuba's willingness to take back criminals and others expelled from the United States.” “This can be a starting point for discussions on drugs, the environment, and ultimately, diplomacy and politics,” says Sarah Stephens of the Center for Democracy in the Americas.
And the New York Times has an AP report from Peru where imprisoned one-time president Alberto Fujimori admitted to having paid his former spy chief, Vladimir Montesinos, $15 million in government money to quit as his government collapsed amidst scandal. Fujimori was imprisoned in April for 25 years for his involvement in a different crime: that of overseeing death squads which are said to have killed at least 25 in the country.
In other news, the AP also reports that the U.S. and Mexico have agreed on a new protocol for sharing information in gun trafficking cases. The Mexican attorney general and a U.S. assistant secretary for Homeland Security made the joint statement Monday. The new agreement is intended to bring more cases against weapons traffickers.
The New York Times reports that after a long vetting process the U.S. could soon be naming a new head of its top development agency, USAID. Sec. of State Hillary Clinton called the drawn out process “frustrating beyond words” on Monday. But many sources say that Harvard doctor and anthropologist Paul Farmer will be the likely pick for the position. Farmer has headed public health programs in Haiti and Rwanda.
Finally, an opinion by columnist Glenn Garvin of the Miami Herald says the Organization of American States has turned a blind eye to democratic violations by leaders of the so-called “left” in Latin America. Calling Evo Morales a “cocaine socialist” and calling the OAS a pipe cleaner, “capable of bending around any corner,” Garvin argues in his harangue that the U.S. should not support the OAS any longer with its funding. Also, today, opposition leaders in Venezuela agreed to talks with OAS Sec. General, José Miguel Insulza, in order to discuss growing worries of authoritarian behavior under President Hugo Chávez.
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