Over the weekend the United States followed through with new measures against the de facto regime in Honduras (announced just over one week ago), revoking both the diplomatic and tourist visas of Roberto Micheletti and 17 other Honduran officials. The AP reports that the interim government also believes that the visas of as many as 1000 other officials could be pulled by week’s end. Responding to the State Dept.’s actions, Mr. Micheletti seemed unmoved, saying this “changes nothing because I am not willing to take back what has happened in Honduras.” But interestingly, Micheletti did not seem bitter toward the U.S. “The United States has always been a friend of Honduras and will continue being one forever, in spite of the actions it has taken,” he told reporters. Late last week, the de facto leader of Honduras also rejected rumors circulating in his country that the U.S. was preparing to unseat him militarily. Some Honduran news outlets had been reporting that U.S. planes were landing at the Palmerola air base “with the objective of coordinating [the regime’s] overthrow.” And also on military operations, it seems speculation that Honduras would, in fact, participate in Panamex military exercises taking place this week was false. The public affairs office of Southcom tells Boz that the inter-American exercises, the largest conducted each year, were to include Honduras until August 10 when the country was taken off the invite list. Also, Reuters writes that the EU late last week said it too would likely increase sanctions on the Honduran government by restricting political contacts with the de facto regime. The EU cut development assistance in July. And Finally on Honduras this morning, a disturbing report in Colombia’s El Tiempo this weekend on claims that businessmen in Honduras have inquired about importing ex members of the AUC paramilitary group to Honduras to protect the urban and rural properties of such individuals from the violence that the June coup has generated and from urban gangs. For its part, the Colombian government could neither confirm or deny the reports. But as one Colombian deputy from the Unificación Demócratica tells the paper, “There are offers to the Honduran de facto government from organizations on the far right in several countries. They offer both men and weapons.”
In other news, a series of articles and opinions this week on what some are calling the beginning of a 21st century arms race in Latin America. First, the AP and New York Times report that Venezuela completed a new arms deal with Russia. The Russians gave the South American country a $2.2 billion credit line to purchase military goods ranging from armored vehicles to surface to air missiles, writes the AP. President Hugo Chávez continued to insist the purchases were defensive, however, saying his country “doesn't plan to invade anybody.” But, as the NYT’s Simon Romero adds, the new missiles “would be put within firing range locations in Colombia or American military installations on the islands of Aruba or Curaçao in the Netherlands Antilles off Venezuela’s coast, where the United States operates surveillance flights.” Meanwhile, in the LA Times, Chris Kraul reports that Colombian officials are worried that the FARC may acquire surface to air missiles, forcing the government to reassess its strategy which has recently “knocked the insurgents on their heels.” “Last month,” Kraul reports, “a Syrian arms trafficker was arrested in Honduras as he tried to sell missiles and other weapons to U.S. undercover agents posing as members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.” And according to one Southcom official, the FARC is “actively shopping” on the black market for SAMs, valued between $10,000 and $110,000 each. All of this leads Miami Herald columnist Andres Oppenheimer to write “It's time for a regional agreement to put a ceiling on arms purchases, and to stop a trend that -- whatever its reasons -- is insane.” “Overall defense spending in Latin America and the Caribbean grew by 91 percent over the past five years, to $47.2 billion in 2008,” says Oppenheimer, with Venezuela, Brazil, and Chile being the countries who have most increased their military spending over that period.
Also this weekend, it was reported that the U.S. upgraded Colombia’s human rights scorecard, allowing the country to access some $32 million in U.S. funds for “fighting gangs and drug smugglers.” DOS spokesman, Ian Kelly, noted several “disquieting challenges” which remained in front of the Colombian government but said the country had “made significant efforts to increase the security of its people.”
In Argentina, the AP reports on a brewing dispute between the country’s media giant, Clarín, and the office of the presidency. The paper recently printed a cartoon with President Cristina Kirchner drawn with an X over her mouth, an image the president called “mafia-like.” Since that time, Kirchner has proposed a law, which the AP says would “break up Clarin…piece by piece.”
The AP also says 7 individuals have finally been arrested in the relation to the murder of prominent Guatemalan lawyer, Rodrigo Rosenberg, in early May. The murder set off a crisis in the country when a tape released after the murder accused President Alvaro Colom of being involved in the murder. Five of the individuals detained are police officers but there is no word yet on any connection which they may have with the president or his inner circle. From Haiti, officials welcomed a downgraded travel advisory from the U.S. State Dept. but businessmen in the country say DOS should still go further. And the Wall Street Journal reports that Brazil may already have exited the global recession as the country’s GDP expanded by $1.9% last quarter.
Finally today there are a series of opinions in the New York Times’ “Room for Debate” section (and in the WSJ Mary O’Grady’s weekly column) on the fight against drug cartels in Mexico and the country’s new drug law featuring decriminalization for small time possession. Political scientist Tony Payan, Jorge Castaneda, Calvina Fay of Drug Free America, Prof. Peter Reuter, and Ethan Nadelmann of Drug Policy Alliance all offer opinions here while O’Grady argues that Mexico’s decriminalization law indicates that things are not getting any better in Mexico’s war on drugs. “Mexico's big problem—for that matter the most pressing security issue throughout the hemisphere—is organized crime's growth and expanded power, fed by drug profits (from, she notes, “demand north of the border”). Mr. Calderón's new policy is unlikely to solve anything in that department.”
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