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magbana (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore | Thu Jul-30-09 01:03 PM Original message |
EXCELLENT!!! "Manel Zelaya's Nightmare" |
Edited on Thu Jul-30-09 01:05 PM by magbana
This is THE best piece I have read about Honduras. It also confirms what flamingdem has been telling us all along -- they are trying to screw Obama.
I don't have a URL for this, including the original in Spanish, but will do so and post to the list. magbana Manuel Zelaya’s Nightmare By Esteban Morales * Translated for CubaNow by Susana Hurlich President Zelaya himself could not explain why they had taken him out of his bed and unloaded him in Costa Rica. He gave thanks to God that they had not assassinated him. But he didn’t know that what awaited him was worse. I myself didn’t have much hope that they wouldn’t kill him; I thought that the right that had carried out the coup d'état, wouldn’t make the same mistake as happened in Venezuela, allowing Chávez a triumphant return, rescued by the people, which doesn’t have a precedent in Latin America and, I believe, anywhere else in the world. They had removed him by force, in pajamas, from his residence in Honduras and they had unloaded him in the “crib” that Oscar Arias had already prepared for him in Costa Rica, so that he could continue sleeping until the next elections in Honduras. Meanwhile condemnations of the coup d'état were moving through the corridors and meetings of the hemisphere’s multilateral organizations and even in the United Nations, all went well, to feed the hopes of Zelaya’s return to his post. But as soon as Mrs. Hilary invited him to Washington, everything began to change. The matter of the coup d'état was taken from the numerous political spheres that condemned it, becoming hostage to the North American administration, particularly to the State Department of the United States. The machinery of the Empire’s power began to move, and the first thing it did was to begin to change the explanatory nuances of what had been a firm condemnation, given what had been considered, without beating about the bush, as a military coup d'état. The right immediately appeared, distorting reality; among them Otto Reich, who availed himself of the opportunity to try to get rid of the accusations of being linked to the coup, a thing that isn’t very difficult to believe. Without a doubt, when the North American Secretary of State entered the scene, arm in arm with Mr. Oscar Arias, everything continued changing and began to put a move on new political intentions. In particular, we know Mr. Arias well. By conviction, he does nothing that isn’t convenient for the United States. As there is nothing more important than one day after another, it’s clear for many that everything was prepared and that Oscar Arias was, from the start, a key piece of that machinery that Clinton set in motion. President Obama was in Russia, where he said that the only president of Honduras was Zelaya. As for her, the Secretary of State, to two questions asking her to describe the coup, “they were gone with the wind,” as we say in Cuba. She never responded. Something that we already said some time ago, that “Obama is only the president,” immediately began to be made clear. The true power isn’t in the Oval Office of the White house. Beginning with that then adds up to a substantial difference between what Latin America and the Caribbean were ready to defend, and the promises of a new policy made by Obama, that he appears to not be in conditions to fulfill. Obama had awakened many expectations of what his policy could be towards the hemisphere, starting from his subtle, negotiating and encouraging attitude in the recent Summit of the Americas, in Trinidad and Tobago. But I ask myself, in terms of a real change of the old policy displayed by George Bush towards Latin America and the Caribbean, what can Obama really do, with Dimitri Negroponte as Under-Secretary of State, after the latter had occupied positions in the highest levels of intelligence services and being one of the main architects of the dirty war in Central America, in particular in Honduras; four ambassadors in Central America named by G. Bush; a Secretary from the Pentagon, who was the same for the previous administration and a so very “independent” Secretary of State. As if this wasn’t enough, a Vice-President who speaks of Israel’s sovereignty when giving responses to Iran, while he forgets the sovereignty of Iraq? Obama will be sincere in wanting to change policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean, but he has done very few things, to not say he’s done nothing, to help himself. To keep in power the same team that is sabotaging his policy intentions. What is occurring in Honduras is going to have, I think already has had, a great impact, not only for what we continue believing are Obama’s political intentions in Latin America and the Caribbean, but for his entire political strategy at a world level. Obama’s intentions (appearing sound), to improve the international prestige of the United States, have entered into a “free fall” that greatly resembles what is happening with the economic crisis. It’s not possible, not by a long shot, to imagine that what is now happening in Honduras is an isolated event, staged by a group of crazies, to whom it occurred to make a coup d'état; and not even to imagine it as revenge against someone who up to a short time ago was politically active within the Honduran oligarchy. One is dealing with something that goes much beyond this. One is dealing with the right working to give a step backwards to the progressive and liberating processes that are taking place in Latin America and the Caribbean. Even, I would say, in the entire world, because its plans are global, which is dangerous not only for such processes, but also for Obama as president. We remember what happened to J.F. Kennedy, when he wanted to modify the policy of the United States towards Latin America and in particular towards Cuba. Argentina, Brazil, perhaps also Uruguay and Chile, are threatened with the return of oligarchies. A triumph of the right in this hemisphere isn’t isolated from their intentions in processes such as those in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, and even China. Because more than the particular policy towards a country or region of the world, what one is dealing with is that, in the midst of the so grave present situation in which the United States is living, a fierce and aggressive debate is opening within the North American political media, about where the Empire should go; if it should adapt to the new conditions of survival or recover positions, which not everyone yet considers lost, tooth-and-nail. I ask myself, can one trust in a President who says or agrees to something at an international level, and who when he returns home, has the rearguard against him? It’s enough to worry everyone. It’s enough to make one think that one can be negotiating with a president, but that his power comes down to their serving him morning coffee in the Oval Office and giving him part of an understanding, with which he isn’t going to be able to do much. The forces of the extreme right, that approximately 30% that followed G. Bush up to the precipice, is well articulated and working strongly to sabotage Obama’s policies, in some cases not only in the United States. Meanwhile the political forces which perhaps follow Obama are a thwarted and fickle amalgam, which only voted for Obama in the midst of a crisis that raised the fears of the North American center to the maximum, faced with the reality that the “American dream” is becoming, like never before, a nightmare. All of it becomes more dramatic in view of the expectations to which Obama’s presidential campaign was capable of giving rise. Meanwhile it’s said that the higher one rises, the fall can be more catastrophic. It’s true that Obama is the president who, internally as much as externally, has moved policies more in such a short time of his mandate. In this sense, the balance of his first six months of administration could be considered as positive, but in terms of concrete results, he has very little or almost nothing to show. Obama already appears like a weak president, without power, dominated also by the idealism of believing that in Washington there is a predominance of morality in politics. Even though what’s true is that from the lived experiences up to now, one can only say that the difference between the United States that Obama has in his head, in his dreams, of “intelligent power” and the real United States, is enormous. Those dreams appear intelligent and brilliantly shaped in his speeches, but, as we know, between speech and real policy there is almost the distance of an abyss. As Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro has said, “One thing is the presidency and another is the empire.” Negotiations in Costa Rica, between those who took part in the coup and Manuel Zelaya, designed by Clinton and mediated by Oscar Arias, ended. What were the results of those negotiations? It’s said that, among others, they reached the following agreements: 1- Zelaya returns to Honduras as president. 2- A government, called the National Unity, will be organized. 3- Presidential Elections are moved forward. 4- The process for a Cuarta Urna (or changes to the current Constitution) is not allowed. Here one sees clearly the “kneeing” that Hilary Clinton must have given to Oscar Arias under the table, saying to him “amuse him,” referring to Zelaya. Here are also Clinton’s secret dealings with the North American right and with those who took part in the Honduran coup. As can be seen, three for the pro-coup faction and one for Zelaya. With such agreements, the Honduran President should be able to calmly take a seat in his house, waiting for the day of the elections to arrive, without having to do practically anything. To not be - while he is in the country, his presence lifts up the Honduran masses – the moment in which the United States should then send the Fourth Fleet and should activate its military base in Honduras. At the same time, Obama will support such agreements and will work according to them, since they allow him “to raise his face a little,” before the shameful attitude, that he had made clear his incapacity to manage the threads of policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean. I ask myself, can Latin America and the Caribbean trust in Obama? Can the World trust in Obama? In any event the damage is already done. Even to Obama. I said, in an article published in January 2009, that President Obama brings together all the personal and political characteristics to turn into a demagogue, and that it is very difficult to discover it. Cuba, in particular, should take note. *The author, a Cuban economist, is a Doctor in Sciences. *Translated by Susana Hurlich |
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flamingdem (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore | Thu Jul-30-09 08:23 PM Response to Original message |
1. Is Obama strong or fragile and does Hillary = Empire? |
I like Fidel's quote: “One thing is the presidency and another is the empire", and I appreciate the article. It's definately tinted by the thoughts of El Comandante, who while liking Obama more than Bush has his own reasons to undermine him with intellectual argument. The jury is still out.
The golpistas like their catbird seat. They were not going to give that up no matter what the threats were from Hillary, without big concessions. As one can see from the calls received on Radio Globo, while not split 50/50 there is still a large number of Hondurans who do not appreciate class struggle. They are the ones who benefitted, or at least felt secure in the old order, or do not like the hubbub caused by the current situation no matter who is at fault. Obama is smart not to stake his reputation on Honduras and I don't think that he has.. at this point there is still sympathy for him in Honduras and in the rest of Latin America. Hardcore real politic says go with your allies, and sadly no matter what Obama has Arias but not Chavez. This is also the fault of Chavez, who is opportunistic and doesn't know how to make it work with Obama.. I really hope this is not a blip in time when the left led Latin America, but I don't think it's Obama's issue. He has too much trouble at home right now. I am more worried about the articles implication that Obama will be undermined from multiple angles, we might lose our pinkish tide here too. He will be re-elected or not based on what he does here. In the meantime Hillary is an opportunist, and I'm not quite sure where she is heading and in what way she may have manipulated Obama into the policy on Honduras. My sense is that Obama knows he cannot fully trust Hillary, but he has to delegate to someone. Same with the others left in place. Perhaps with re-election he can boot out that baggage. In Honduras there is trust for Obama, but not for Hillary or Llorens according to my favorite source Radio Globo. |
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