I have a goal of really getting up to speed on the situation in Honduras. As I do, I post what I learn, previously in Seven Journalists Killed in Honduras. The latest information is that popular resistance to the coup continues and a group of progressive House members has sent Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a letter asking for a special visit by Michael Posner, the Assistant Secratary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The letter was sent a month ago - I have been unable to find information as to how the State Department has responded.
The most recent development in the situation is the murder of Marco Tulio Amaya, a member of the National Front for Popular Resistance. This is not an isolated incident, but part of ongoing efforts by the Honduran government to suppress democratic and popular movements.
The United States is at odds with Latin American governments regarding the legitimacy of the current Honduran government, as detailed in the Guardian by Mark Weisbrot, One Year On, Honduras Rift Persists. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been actively lobbying Latin American leaders to support the current Honduran regime. However, the Organization of American States and various Latin American leaders have shown independence and have not ceded to U.S. pressure to back anti-democratic forces in Latin America. It also bears noting that President Obama refused to meet with the ousted, democratically-elected President Zelaya of Honduras on each of his six visits to Washington.
A June 28 truthout article, One Year Later: Honduras Resistance Still Strong Despite US-Supported Coup, lays out the basic situation: the coup represents the return of U.S. hard power in the Americas, a development that is disappointing, but not surprising, given a Democratic administration. This fact demands resistance from peace, labor, and other progressive organizations within the U.S.
A promising sign came on June 24 from 27 House members, who sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asking that Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner go to Honduras to review the situation.
Among the problems the House members cite is the fact that a leader of the coup is in charge of the national telecommunications company:
General Romeo Vasquez Velasquez, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces at the time of the coup, is now the head of Hondutel, the national telecommunications company. The appointment of Velasquez, a primary actor in the coup, is troubling because in his new position he controls the country's telephone, Internet and fax lines at a time when human rights advocates and political opposition leaders fear they are being persecuted for their activism.
In a July 15 speech to the Council on Foreign relations, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said:
Liberty, democracy, justice and opportunity underlie our priorities. Some accuse us of using these ideals to justify actions that contradict their very meaning. Others say we are too often condescending and imperialistic, seeking only to expand our power at the expense of others. And yes, these perceptions have fed anti-Americanism, but they do not reflect who we are. No doubt we lost some ground in recent years, but the damage is temporary. It’s kind of like my elbow – it’s getting better every day.
To which I say, if you don't want to be accused of hypocrisy and imperialism, the easiest route is to avoid hypocrisy and imperialism.