‘The Honduran military ousted and exiled leftist President Zelaya in what was Central America’s first military coup since the Cold War.’ The move was triggered by Zelaya’s attempt to legalize an extension of his power timetable. In other words, Zelaya wanted to tinker with the country’s Constitution to seek another term of office, a sensitive act that almost always triggers opposition in countries where the law of the land is a tool to resolve conflicts and national debates. In this light, it becomes clear that Zelaya’s arrest was legal and a necessary precaution against violence.
Hugo Chavez has entered the picture. The brash and loud Chavez is making sure that his clamor and determination to return the deposed president of Honduras will create multilateral pressure. He even made a call for help to Washington. When the most dangerous dictator in that hemisphere makes a call to the country that he has been despising so loud that his career seems to center on it, one is led to believe that Chavez must be serious enough to exhaust all avenues to get Zelaya back in Honduras. Determined or desperate, Chavez is obviously not supportive of the rule of law which legitimizes Zelaya’s ouster. But, then again, Chavez thinks that the left will triumph in Latin America, far above the conservatives.
Barack Obama has also entered the picture. Obama and the U.S. State Department joined Chavez and his allies to demand that Zelaya be reinstalled in power. This has emboldened Venezuela. Now, the issue has become huge. The conservative interim government in Honduras is indeed feeling the pressure. It would have been the end if the U.S. just supported the rule of law in Honduras, or simply refrained from meddling. Obama defends his decision as his personal take on legitimacy. He also wants to be a good neighbor. Or perhaps, Chavez did find a new friend in him.
The US is now exerting enormous pressure to return Zelaya, one lucky man who is benefiting from the newfound friendship between Obama and Chavez.
Latin America is a battleground between the left and the right. If the US succeeds in bringing Zelaya back to power in Honduras, Chavez surely won’t be able to hide his patented wide grin. The left would have won by then, thanks to Obama.
