Weekend Round-up

Micheletti organizes a delegation while Zelaya is advised to return to Honduras

On Honduras over the weekend, the Miami Herald published an article claiming that the advisors of ousted President Zelaya are encouraging him to return to Honduras, despite facing threats of imminent arrest. Although returning is a highly risky move, Zelaya’s advisors believe that his return would “dramatically scramble the political landscape in [Honduras].” Once Zelaya steps foot in Honduras, Victor Meza, the senior official in Zelaya's cabinet as minister of internal security, states that “he'd be taken out of prison on the shoulders of the people to the Casa Presidencial.”

As protests continue in Tegucigalpa demanding Zelaya’s return to power, the Associated Press reported that Micheletti’s de facto government cracked down with harsher measures. Two dozen pro-Zelaya supporters were charged with sedition on Friday and another four were charged with aggravated arson and terrorism in the burning of a bus and a restaurant. Micheletti has dubbed these protesters as “violent and terrorist."

Yesterday, AFP ran an article on Micheletti’s decision to organize a delegation to visit Washington next Monday in attempts to gain international recognition. Micheletti told reporters that the delegation will meet with foreign ministers from the Organization of American States, which "will guarantee that the doors of the world are open to Honduras." Three Honduran diplomats, Mauricio Villeda, Arturo Corrales and Vilma Morales, who participated in talks in San Jose, also returned from a visit to Washington, where they met with OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza, despite Insulza’s previous refusal to engage with authorities of the de facto government.

An editorial in the New York Times on Saturday titled “Mr. Micheletti’s Dangerous Game” discussed how Micheletti’s de facto government’s stalling of negotiations is causing deeply-rooted divisions within the country that is likely to result in “years, not months, of crisis.” The article pointed out that even if the Micheletti government does succeed in new elections, a bulk of the population would view the results as illegitimate, which would only exacerbate tensions. In trying to find a solution, Washington has publicly condemned the coup and suspended nearly $18 million in aid, but it has not yet to take extreme action, such as withdrawing its ambassador to Honduras or freezing back accounts of those associated with the coup. While Micheletti continues to postpone negotiations led by Costa Rican President Arias and other foreign ministers from Latin American countries, Washington must prepare to exert greater pressure on Honduras. Also on Saturday, the Washington Post published an article further explaining the divisions within Honduran society. Since the June 28 coup, society has split between two “diametrically opposed views,” where the Zelaya supporters are generally poor, and the Zelaya opponents are generally the middle- to upper-class citizens. This division is particularly worrisome, and will make it increasingly difficult for negotiations to occur within the next few weeks.

Regarding the United States, an Associated Press article published yesterday accused the U.S. of being involved in the June 28 coup, claiming that the plane the originally flew President Zelaya into exile stopped to refuel at Soto Cano air base, also known as Palmerola, that houses at least 500 U.S. troops who carry out counter-narcotics operations and other missions in Central America. Patricia Valle, the deputy foreign minister of the deposed government, holds the U.S. to be complicit in the coup, despite failing to prove that the U.S. troops had any interaction with Honduran military officials that day. In another article in Venezuelan newspaper El Universal, the U.S. was attacked by Venezuelan Ambassador to the Organization of American States Roy Chaderton, who claimed that asking the U.S. to participate in restoring President Zelaya to power should not be considered hypocrisy, saying that "member states are expected to participate, to the extent of their respective possibilities, in reestablishment of the democratic system."

Mexico’s new plans to fight corruption and attract tourists

An article published by the Associated Press reported that Mexico’s drug cartels have transformed into full-scale mafias, as they use extortion and traffic nearly everything from people to pirated DVDs. As groups of organized crime strengthen in Mexico, President Calderon is faced with increased challenges throughout his 2 1/2-year-old drug war. Today, an article in both the New York Times and the Miami Herald reported that in his greater fight against corruption and drug trafficking, President Calderon replaced of the entire cadre of customs agents along the Mexico-U.S. border, and doubling the size of the new group of agents, in attempts to “root out corruption” and “reduce the influx of huge quantities of illegal drugs into the country.” The old officers were not fired, but instead their contracts were not renewed. Some officers will be allowed to reapply for their positions if they meet new, stricter hiring requirements.

In attempts to attract tourists who might otherwise be deterred from visiting due to increased violence, the economic recession, and threats of the swine flu, Mexico City now offers free health insurance for foreigners under a plan called the "Tourist Assistance Card," which would include emergency medical care, hospital stays, prescription drugs and ambulance services. The LA Times quoted Marcelo Ebrard in that "Of all the world's largest cities, Mexico City is the first to try this."

Lastly, on Mexico, Reuter’s news published an article on President Calderon’s encouragement to seek free trade with Brazil in order to boost commercial ties. Especially after suffering from the global recession, Calderon believes that establishing new trade and opening up ties with Brazil will help Mexico’s economy get back on its feet.

The U.S. and Colombia reach an agreement

On Colombia this weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported that Colombia and the United States concluded negotiations to allow American troops to use seven military bases in Colombia (five military air forces and two naval bases). The next step for each government is to “technically [revise]” the negotiations and for the Colombian Council of State to endorse the deal, so that the two governments can officially sign the agreement within the next two weeks. Despite original opposition from Colombia’s regional opponents, not only Venezuela and Ecuador, but also more moderate allies Chile and Brazil, Colombia and the U.S. continue to insist that the bases are solely to fight drug trafficking and terrorism.

New Information leaked on U.S.-Brazil agreements in Allende coup

A newly declassified document of a summary of a White House meeting exposed Nixon’s offer to financially help undermine Chile’s Allende government in 1971 after Brazil's president confirmed his military officers were working with counterparts in Chile, reported the LA Times yesterday. The document was in a pile of records concerning U.S.-Brazil collaboration in opposing left-leaning governments in Latin America in the early 1970s, which were posted on the National Security Archive website on Saturday. These documents “open the door on a new, untold history of efforts to overthrow Allende,” said Peter Kornbluh, director of the archive's Cuba and Chile documentation projects. In the summary, Nixon stated, "We must try and prevent new Allendes and Castros and try where possible to reverse these trends." Nixon and Brazil President Medici agreed to communicate outside regular diplomatic channels. Also in the documents reveal Nixon’s claims to support efforts to overthrow Castro and talks of manipulating the president of Peru, who had been supportive of Castro. The article discusses Nixon’s desire for secrecy and his efforts in destabilizing governments through other nations, but states that Brazil’s role in all of this is unknown.

Opposing views on effects of “Three Amigos” and UNASUR summits

Christopher Sabatini’s opinion piece in the Miami Herald expressed his views that despite promises and encouraging speeches from leaders at the two regional summits held last week, the “Three Amigos” summit with North America and the UNASUR summit with South America, regional coordination is still lacking. Specifically, recent events in Honduras and Colombia have demonstrated a “a vacuum in regional leadership” to respond to the crises and an overall “collective weakness.” Sabatini claims that the regional failure to respond to the crisis “turned a man who himself had violated the constitution into a victim.” Similar events are happening in Colombia, where regional leaders have failed to collaborate against the threat of the growing evidence of Colombia's neighbors' involvement with the FARC. Sabatini ultimately calls for the Latin American leaders to step up and take initiative against these threats and to do “more than just exhort the United States to do more in Honduras.”

With a different take on the “Three Amigos” summit, Andres Oppenheimer believes that “it may have been a major step in helping to convince President Barack Obama about the need of greater North American integration.” In his words, “If Obama went to this summit thinking he would discuss bilateral issues with his two colleagues and came out of it convinced that the three countries have a lot to gain by creating a more closely knit North American community, it was a success. We may see the results of the Guadalajara summit when the ‘three amigos’ meet again in Canada next year.”

Chavez education bill led to violent protests

Despite strong opposition from citizens claiming that it imposes a socialist indoctrination in schools, Chavez plans to pass his national education bill called "the Bolivarian Doctrine," as reported in the Miami Herald last Friday. Pro-Chavez supporters of the law disregard critiques that indoctrination, claiming that legislation reflects the “government's efforts to ensure equal opportunities and teach social responsibility.” Supporters also note that the law requires teaching to be "open to all forms of thinking." Regardless, the debate over this bill sparked tensions between Venezuela's fierce political foes, producing rival demonstrations Thursday outside the National Assembly in downtown Caracas that ended in violence. The Miami Herald reported on these violent protests, saying that hundreds gathered in Venezuela on Friday to fight for justice after a 12 journalists protesting the education bill and media regulations were brutally beaten.

Citizens demand promised government help in Peru

The Miami Herald reported on Saturday that two years after Peru’s most devastating earthquake that killed over 500 people left over 50,000 homeless, residents are beginning to lose hope of promised government help. Many are waiting for the funds to rebuild their homes, and for those who have been able to rebuild their homes, they await a rebuilding bonus, as promised under the government's Reconstruction Fund for the South or FORSUR. In those two years, only about 2,000 homes have been rebuilt, and sdespite only spending $33 million thus far, $400 million were allocated for this project. The Associated Press also reported on this, claiming that 4,000 people in Pisco –one of the towns most affected by the earthquake – began protesting by blocking the Huamani bridge and disrupting traffic on the country’s main route. The protests quickly turned violent as police officials used tear gas to disperse the road block.

-- Maddie Thomson