Weekly Roundup: Crisis in Honduras, Obama-Uribe Meeting, and Peronist Party Defeat

UN Backs Zelaya as World Reacts to Honduran Crisis

On the morning of June 28 the Honduran military detained and expelled President Manuel Zelaya. Governments and multilateral agencies around the world have protested the action, which an interim government claims was justified after Zelaya and his supporters planned to hold a referendum outlawed by the country’s main institutions. Countries across the Americas as well as Spain have withdrawn ambassadors from the Central American country in protest of what is widely being called a coup. Moreover, the World Bank has paused lending to Honduras and the Pentagon placed on hold all its military activities there.

In a press conference held after a meeting with Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, U.S. President Barack Obama labeled the overthrow as illegal and a “terrible precedent.”

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez expressed his support of Zelaya and called for “demonstrations and continued solidarity with the Honduran people and the constitutional president.”

On June 30, the UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution refusing to recognize the new Honduran government. Zelaya then addressed the Assembly and said the coup was an act of violence against the “democratic will of the people” and that it established a “dictatorship” in his country. Watch the video of his speech (English / español) or read the transcript (English / español)

On July 1, the Organization of American States gave Honduras’ interim government 72 hours to restore Zelaya to office. Zelaya, who went on to Panama for the inauguration of that country’s new president, plans to return to his country on July 4. But the interim president, Roberto Micheletti, says the overthrow was legal and Zelaya will only be restored through a foreign invasion.

Access an AS/COA resource guide to the crisis, including links to primary sources and international reactions.
 
Peronist Party Suffers Defeat in Midterm Elections

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and her husband former President Néstor Kirchner experienced an electoral upset in Argentina’s midterm elections after losing controlling majorities in both houses of Congress. Néstor Kirchner also suffered a surprise defeat in his bid for a Buenos Aires legislative seat to Francisco de Narváez. After the election, Kirchner resigned from his post as head of the Peronist party to be replaced by Buenos Aires Governor Daniel Scioli.

Critics see the Kirchner defeat as a referendum on the current administration’s inability to deal with the country’s struggling economy. TIME describes it as a first sign that the global financial crisis has the potential to rein in the region’s “super-presidents.”

Obama Hosts Uribe to Talk Trade

Colombian President Álvaro Uribe visited his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama at the White House on June 29 to discuss trade, security, and development. Obama indicated support for the languishing Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. Also, Obama stressed to Uribe the importance of term limits, and implied that Uribe should not seek a third consecutive term. The meeting closed with comments about the current situation in Honduras and plans for another meeting to discuss the trade deal in greater detail.

Read about the visit in Americas Quarterly as well as in an AS/COA analysis.

Mexicans Head to the Polls July 5 for Midterms

Ahead of midterm congressional elections in Mexico, polls show the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) with a lead over President Felipe Calderón’s National Action Party (PAN). Mitofsky polling from June 30 shows the PRI pulling in 34 percent of vote, the PAN with 29 percent, and the Party of the Democratic Revolution in third with 13 percent.

Listen to the audio of an AS/COA panel discussion on the Mexican congressional election.

An AS/COA analysis looks at the voto en blanco movement, which calls on voters to deface ballots.

More Democracy, Less Guns for Mexico

An article published in the July/August issue of Foreign Affairs makes the case that Washington should shift its perception of Mexico and begin to view it as permanent, strategic partner. Shannon O’Neil, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, argues that in order to safeguard long term stability, the United States needs to consider its own role in the escalating instability in Mexico, and articulate a coherent plan to foster Mexico’s democracy and growing middle class.

In a related event, a proposal to send U.S. National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico boarder has caused a dispute between the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security over which agency should direct troops there.

Martinelli Assumes Presidency in Panama

On May 3, opposition candidate Ricardo Martinelli won the Panamanian presidential election on a platform of economic reform and recovery. He takes office July 1, with hemispheric leaders—and the president of Taiwan—in attendance.

Read COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth’s recent column in Poder on U.S.-Panamanian relations. Also read a Miami Herald op-ed by him giving the history of bilateral relations and providing reasons for the passage of the U.S.-Panama trade deal.

Lula Approves an Amazon Land Law

On June 25, Brazilian President Lula approved a law that gives land rights to thousands of farmers in the Amazon region. The bill hands over plots in a swath of land roughly the size of France to settlers who can prove that they have occupied the land since before December 2004. The Brazilian government claims the law will put an end to violent land disputes and deforestation. Environmentalists argue that the bill has been so adulterated from its original form that instead of benefiting impoverished Amazonian farmers, it gives squatters a free pass to continue destroying the Amazon in the same way as they have been for decades.

Peruvian Congress Won’t Censure Ministers after Amazon Protests

After a three hour debate, the Peruvian Senate voted against censuring Prime Minister Yehude Simon and Interior Minister Mercedes Cabanillas for their handling of the land rights protests in the Bagua region. The protests, which turned deadly, started on June 5 when indigenous protestors clashed with police forces after several weeks of road blockades. The crisis led Peruvian lawmakers to overturn a set of unpopular land distribution decrees on June 18.

Read in-depth coverage of the Peruvian protesters on the Americas Quarterly site.

Washington and Caracas Mend Diplomatic Ties

The United States and Venezuela have agreed to restore ambassadors to their respective posts in Caracas and Washington. Last September, in response to a series of events stemming from violence in Bolivia, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez expelled the U.S. ambassador, leading former U.S. President George W. Bush to expel Venezuela’s ambassador in kind. The Democracy Center’s blog discusses the regional implications of the warming between the Obama and Chávez administrations and explores whether Washington and La Paz will restore ties next.
 
Ecuador Calls for Arrest of Former Colombian Minister

An Ecuadorian court ordered the arrest of Colombia’s former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos, saying he violated Ecuadorian internal security when he ordered an air raid attack against the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) in March 2008. The attack, which was also condemned by the Organization of America States, resulted in the death of 25 rebels. President Álvaro Uribe, in Washington at the time, rejected the Ecuadorian charge and defended Santos.

Read an Americas Quarterly web exclusive that examined Colombian-Ecuadorian relations a year after the cross-border attack.

Cuban Video Intends to Show Raúl’s Resolve

IPS News reports that Cuban authorities are using a video to demonstrate the determination of the President Raúl Castro to cast out government disloyalty by showing meetings recorded in an investigation. The video is linked to the dismissal of top Cuban officials in March 2009. Thousands of members belonging to the Cuban Communist Party and the Young Communist Party have seen the video, but they are screened at the door for any recording devices to prevent the film to be leaked using the internet.

Gangs Spread in the Caribbean
 
Harvard International Review takes a look at the proliferation of violent gangs in much of the English-speaking Caribbean. The article explains the negative effect on the tourism industry of the region and how important the international assistance remains in improving the effectiveness of law enforcement and curbing rampant corruption.

Paraguay’s Flourishing Cigarette Trade

Chile’s Centro de Investigación e Información Periodistica examines how Paraguay’s contraband cigarette production has flourished. Traffickers of illicit Paraguayan cigarettes have global reach, despite efforts to prevent shipment.

Disruption of Drug Flow from Mexico Ignites Violence in Canada
 
The Los Angeles Times chronicles the increasing amount of drug-related violence in Canada as a result of the crackdown on drug trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico border. Drug dealers in Canada are mostly organized gangs that now appear engaged in a turf war for control over the streets in cities such as Vancouver.

U.S. Energy Bill Puts Canadian Hydropower at Disadvantage

Embassy magazine comments on how Canadian hydropower stands in clear disadvantage in the American Clean Energy and Security Act recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill details the types of renewable power sources (solar, wind, geothermal, wave, and biomass) that will meet new standards American utilities must follow to reduce emissions. For hydropower, it can only come from dams built after 1992, which rules out Canadian ones. The bill awaits Senate confirmation.

Buenos Aires Declares Emergency over H1N1 Virus
 
With the H1N1 death toll at 42 in Argentina, the Buenos Aires province declared an emergency and extended the winter recess for schools by two extra weeks. This means that the classrooms will be closed from July 3 to August 3. Thus far, municipal authorities have ruled out the closure of public places such as movie theaters or restaurants, El Clarín reports.

Primary Elections in Uruguay Draw Surprises

In Uruguay, former President Luis Alberto Lacalle captured the presidential candidacy of the main opposition National Party over Senator Jorge Larrañaga, highlighting the party’s unity and praising his runner-up in his acceptance speech. President Tabaré Vázquez's hand picked successor, Danilo Astori, was forced to concede to Jose Mujica in the bid for the ruling Broad Front coalition’s ticket. Ongoing party infighting, compounded by the National Party garnering almost equal turn-out in the primaries, could spell trouble for the Broad Front in November.