On the morning of June 28, a group of Honduran soldiers surrounded the residence of President Manuel Zelaya, seized him, and forced him into exile. Zelaya had defied Honduras’s Congress and courts, provoking fears that he was seeking expanded powers, just six months before his presidential term was due to end. The Supreme Court ordered his arrest two days before the army made its move. Electricity outages kept news of the coup d’état from spreading, while media outlets aired only music as police reportedly fired tear gas into crowds of protesters in the streets.
The Organization of American States issued a strong condemnation of the coup and called for the rolling back of “this grave disturbance of the democratic process” in Central America. U.S. President Barack Obama expressed outrage and called on the coup’s leaders “to respect democratic norms” and “the rule of law.” He urged a peaceful resolution without resort to “outside interference”—meaning there would be no direct U.S. involvement. International pressure has been increasing on the military-led government to let Zelaya, the ousted president, return. So far, no nation has extended recognition to the new government.
As Honduras’s number-one trading partner, the United States wields significant clout. The State Department has threatened to cut economic aid to Honduras if the military leaders do not restore democratic rule. Meanwhile, negotiations mediated by President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica have so far been unsuccessful. Other nations in Central America closed their borders temporarily to trade with Honduras.
Related Links
- HONDURAS: President Overthrown in Military Coup
This story from Inter Press Service covers the events of the military coup in late June in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
(Source: IPS, June 28, 2009) - FACTBOX: Increasing Isolation for Honduras after Coup
This Reuters article summarizes international efforts to pressure the new military government of Honduras.
(Source: Reuters, July 20, 2009) - Honduras’ Manuel Zelaya Calls for New Protests along Border
This Miami Herald article reports developments at the one-month mark since the ouster of Honduran president Manuel Zelaya.
(Miami Herald, July 28, 2009) - Map of Honduras
Map of Honduras from the University of Texas. This map shows the country and its neighboring countries in Central America. The country’s capital is Tegucigalpa.
(Source: The University of Texas)
Other Issues in the Region
Income Gap
Latin America has abundant resources, but a small percentage of the people have benefited most from those resources. According to the World Bank, the richest 10 percent of the population of Central and South America and the Caribbean earn 48 percent of the region’s income. The poorest 10 percent earn only 1.6 percent. Attitudes about race and ethnicity are one reason for the widespread inequality in Latin America. Indigenous peoples and Latin Americans of African descent have fewer educational and job opportunities than whites. High-quality public services, such as health care, water, electricity, and sewage, are unequally divided according to race and socioeconomic status. The World Bank found that unequal distribution of resources hinders development and can be traced to patterns set up during European colonization. Solving the problem will require wise leadership, participatory democracy, and changes in social and political institutions to bring about reform.
- Prudent Chile Thrives Amid Downturn
The economies of developing nations around the world, including in Latin America, have been hurt by the global recession of 2008–09. Thanks to careful management of windfall profits in its copper industry, Chile has been able to weather the storm.
(Source: Wall Street Journal, May 27, 2009)
Giving Citizens a Voice
On September 11, 2001, the same day that terrorists attacked the United States, members of the Organization of American States (OAS), were meeting in Lima, Peru, to demonstrate their commitment to democracy. Among them were Canada, the United States, Mexico, and countries of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. They signed the Inter-American Democratic Charter. The first article of the charter states, “The peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy, and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it. Democracy is essential for the social, political, and economic development of the peoples of the Americas.”
The charter spells out basic elements of a representative democracy. It emphasizes the importance of human rights and urges the participation of all citizens. It calls for the elimination of all forms of discrimination and addresses the need to eliminate poverty and illiteracy. Economic development and education are stressed as important factors in strengthening the democratic process.
- Democracy Clause an Obstacle to Cuba in OAS
A report published by the head of the OAS Jose Miguel Insulza stated that Cuba would have to commit to democracy before the OAS would consider reinstating it. The report comes in the wake of the Fifth Summit of the Americas, where several countries, including Venezuela and Brazil, requested that Cuba be reinstated.
(Source: Reuters, April 13, 2009)
Rain Forest Resources
Brazil’s rainforest covers a majority of the country’s land. The forest is said to contain 30 percent of Earth’s plant and animal species, and the oxygen produced by its plant life has given the region the nickname “the lungs of the world.” But Brazil’s growing population and expanding economy, particularly its agricultural economy, are putting new demands on the rainforests. Brazil’s government is struggling to find a balance between rainforest preservation and economic growth.
- Peru Faces Water Versus Oil Dilemma
Peru is welcoming mining companies, as well as companies interested in looking for oil and gas, to come hunt for natural resources in the country’s Amazon rainforest region, which covers over half the country. But some regions of the country feel that mining and digging for oil should be halted in favor of protecting the environment.
(Source: BBC, April 6, 2009)