Street roots., July 24, 2009, Page 13, Image 13

l f k Street roots
111
CELEBBATIMG Ä »EC H O S
Education * Dialogue * Independence
ì f l l
I
13
<4
Obama’s opportunity in Latin America begins with closure
BY ALEJANDRO QUERAL
public in the ballot for the June, elections?
The question asked whether voters wanted
oon afteFHonduras President Manuel
the government to call for a Constitutional
Zelaya was removed from his post by
Assembly, which would explore the
the congress and the military, U.S.
possibility of constitutional reform. But the
President Barack Qbaìna expressed deep
main reform that Zelaya sought was the
concerns by the reports of the coup.
Obama called “on all political and social
actors in Honduras to respect democratic
norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the
Inter-American Democratic Charter.” He
also called for a peaceful resolution to
“existing tensions and disputes ... through
dialogue free from any outside interference.”
But this statement was quickiy dismissed
by many on the left because, in their view,
theObama administration was splitting
legalistic hairs. Why not call thè events. .
what they were: a coup, d’etat, a golpe de
estado, a military coup. A few days later
Obama told reporters his administration was
still trying to determine whether this was an.
illegal coup. The left cried foul: An “illegal
coup”? Aren’t all coups, by definition, illegal?
This gave some credence to statements that
the United States had prior knowledge of
the. coup, and even that it had been the
main instigator. Venezuelan-American
author and lawyer, Èva Golinger, released a 7
statement on June 28 calling) the Honduras
events “Obama’s first coup d’etat.”
Ousted Honduras President M anuel Zelaya
Despite the aggressive rhetoric, there is
little evidence to support the notion that the
current U.S; administration had any
possibility of extending the number of terms
involvement in the removal of President .
the president could, serve. To many in
Zelaya. The main argument is that the U.S.
Honduras and elsewhere, this seemed like ,
ambassador to Honduras Hugo Llorens was
the same approach taken by Hugo Chavez in
aware of the tensions between Zelaya and
Venezuela and Evo Morales in Bolivia. And
the Honduran congress, and that he had
the Honduran congress along with the
some influence in preventing a coup days
courts determined that such a referendum
before the June 28 actions took place. That,
would be illegal.)
and the fact that Obama, Secretary of State
Thte ág§ertirihs"are based ori’specul&tiori
Clinton and others have called for. a peaceful and extrapolations of history, For instance,
resolution through negotiations.
Golinger argues thatU.S. aid to Honduran
One of the reasons why the U.S. did not
groups aimed at “promoting democracy” are
want to rush to conclusions as to the events
actually fronts to encourage the political
in Hondùras was because legally, the U.S.. |
opposition to regain control of power,
would be required to cut most aid to one of " through democratic means or otherwise.
the poorest countries in the hemisphere.
That’s because much of the money is being’
The legal determination was complicated by
funneled through the National Endowment (
the fact that Zelaya was not removed from
for Democracy (NED) and USAID, which in
power and the country by the military alone. the past have been linked to opposition
The Honduran congress voted 122 to 6 to
groups in other Latin American countries;
remove Zelaya, and the courts all concurred
Golinger’s own book, “The Chavez Code,”
in the determination that Zelaya’s actions
presented strong evidence of NED’s
were illegal.
involvement in the 2002 Venezuelan coup
(A brief recount of events is necessary
that temporarily removed Hugo Chavez from
here: For several months prior to the June
power. But that evidence is non-existent
28 events, President Zelaya was making
with respect to Honduras — for now, at least.
every effort to include a question to the
At the end of the day however,, the main
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R
S
complaint about the Obama administration
appears to be more about its overall
approach to foreign relations, especially with
respect to Latin America. Golinger sharply;
points out that the-U.S. administration is
“manipulating the outcome and attempting
R E U T E R S /O S W A L D O
R IV A S
economic) to achieve its national objectives.
The Obama administration, however,
appears fo be more interested in re-defining
its relationship with Latin America by
adopting a form of diplomacy that’s more
inclusive and balanced than previous
administrations. This new form of diplomacy
focuses on giving Central American
; countries a leading role in resolving regional
problems. This is likely why the U.S. agreed
to give the role of broker to Costa Rican
president Oscar Arias, a well-respected :
léader'in the region.
The problem now it seems, is the U.S.
legacy in Latin America in general, and in
Central America in particular. The CIA’s
illegal activities in Honduras, Nicaragua and
E l Salvador (in addition to its covert action
in Chile and elsewhere) from the early
1950s to the late ‘80s left a legacy that will
make it very difficult for the Obama
administration to implement a new approach
to diplomacy.
Leftist critics of thé U.S. administration,
have also pointed out that many of the
military leaders involved in thé coup, were
trained at the School of the Americas, or
SOA, a U.S.-funded military school where
many Latin American forçes have been
trained to wage war, even though most of
the Honduran military leaders involved in
The CIA's Illegal activities In Honduras, Nicaragua and El
Salvador (In addition io Its covert action in Chile and
elsewhere) from the early 1950s to the late '8 0 s left a legacy
that w ill make it very difficult for the Obama administration
to implement a new approach to diplomacy.
to appear as though one position has been
assumed when in reality, actions
demonstrate the contrary.” She calls this
approach part of the strategy of “smart
power,” which she defines as “the capacity
to combine “hard power” with “soft power”
to achieve a victorious Strategy. “Smart
power” strategically uses diplomacy,
persuasion, capacity building, military power
and economic and political influence, in an
effective way with a political and social
legitimacy.
But this is nothing new. Every country
has its own national interests in mind and
will use diplomacy, persuasion and every
kind of power available" (military and
the coup had attended the SOA in the
1990s.
i Clearly, the SOA is a powerful symbol of
repression and a reminder of the US legacy
in Latin America. President Obama has a
unique opportunity to send a strong
message that the old U.S. policies toward ;
Latin. America no longer apply by ordering
the SOA closed for good. Not only would
this silence some critics, but it Would also
allow the Obama administration to apply a
new form of “smart power” to the region by
making regional actors responsible for what
goes on in their backyard.
I ¡L
LOOKING FOR AN
AFFORDABLE PLACE TO RENT?
i ; Your online housing search just got e a sie r^
w w W '
&
Thousands o f listings - Free service
Includes special needs housing
Call 2-1-1 o r 503-802-8562
LSI
When it comes to your civil liberties,)
you should hear what you're missing:
Now at a new date
and time, on
KBOO, 90.7 fm
6-7 p.m.
the second
Wednesday of the
month