Earlier this week, the State Department sent a letter to the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee which, among other things, indicated that it had not even been decided as to whether or not what happened in Honduras was a coup. I may be wrong, but I'm fairly certain that when a democratically-elected president is gotten out of bed and forced onto a plane by his country's military, the only word for it is coup. Additionally, the $16.5 million in suspended military aid to the country has done little to show disapproval. As noted in an article in today's New York Times, a business leader in Honduras had this to say about the Obama administration's response to the coup: "Their bark is worse than their bite." Surprise, surprise. If Zelaya had been a little less friendly with Hugo Chavez and a little more friendly to the United States, I'd be willing to put money on a lot more suspended aid and a much more forceful 'bite.'
The letter, laughably, also says that the administration's policy is "based on finding a resolution that best serves the Honduran people and their democratic aspirations." Since this sentence follows one saying that the administration does not support any one side or politician - including, as I've said before, the democratically-elected president - it seems slightly hypocritical. In addition to all of this, the letter says that Zelaya's 'provocative actions' in the weeks leading up to the coup led directly to his removal. However, in a democratic country - or one that claims to be, at any rate - there are presumably other, less violent and controversial methods for confronting a president.
Although President Obama has said, and continues to say, since my last post that he supports the reinstatement of Zelaya, the actions and statements of the administration - and, more broadly, of the U.S. government as a whole - indicate otherwise. Again: surprise, surprise.
-the ambassador
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