In the last ten years the United States has delivered $18.41 million in weapons and defense articles to Honduras through the foreign military sales program.
Foreign Military Financing, a grant of U.S. funds to foreign militaries, totaled $7.37 million between 2003 and today to this nation of 7.7 million.
International Military Education and Training funds in that same period came to $14.82 million.
Within the context of the tens of billions in weapons deals the United States makes each year and the $4 billion plus doled out through FMF, these tens of millions in military aid and weapons sales over the last decade or so do not add up to a lot in terms of dollars.
But for Honduras, the second poorest nation in very poor Central America, the aid and weapons sales have provided a significant boost to the very same military that stormed the presidential residence and put Manual Zelaya on a plane to Costa Rica in his PJs yesterday morning. And these contributions must be understood within the context of decades of U.S. military support for successive Honduran strongmen, and the United States' use of Honduran territory to wage the Contra War against the Nicaraguan Sandanistas through the 1980s.
In recent years, robust U.S. military support has been replaced with much smaller allotments, but they still add up. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Honduras had a military budget of about $76 million in 2007. U.S. aid, training and support for the Honduran military and police and counter-narcotics assistance totaled more than $10 million, according to data collected by "Just the Facts."
It is lunacy when outsiders get involved in another countries constitutional rights especially when it was so clearly expressed in the article number mentioned above. Or worse, everyone came to the same conclusion without even reading the Honduran Constitution to see if what they did was illegal or not. Thanks, Honduras and some of the surrounding countries are paying for your arrogance!
Change my eye!
Rick
Belize
Since he who pays the piper gets to call the tune, Obama should be able to knock this little coup down in a heartbeat. All he has to do is freeze all the funding for the Honduran military. Then we can watch as the little coup collapses for lack of soldiers willing to support it.
I know this will trigger people to comment that the US should not be providing anyone with military aid or weapons. I guess it would be ok with these people if China or Russia, who wouldn't have a bit of scruple about selling arms and giving money to anyone (for example, Iran and Sudan) would move a little deeper into our sphere of influence and provide the rest of Latin America with just about anything. The Russians already sold destroyers to Venezuela and will be closing a deal soon to sell helicopters and weapons to Bolivia (the poorest country in South America must really needs those).
...i and i am non violent...i and i am a non violence trainer...violence is assuredly not the solution to any problem...i have lived this...
...and as a white msle in late twentieth centuary for me it has been a luxury to take this view,,,within the jargon i and i think it is called privelidge...
...so what do we...and anymore from uzbiekistan (cool huh?...i didn't belive it either!) to maui it is wheee!...us all huh?...take as steps, being the fine nation that we are...to counter what may have been seen on the horizon?...it is certainly correct that the history of condoning murder...third party of course...america has should not stop the state department from bemoaning the situation...and indeed it has not...within the language it...the official statement...ain't to shabby...
but this is truly meant as a question...
unless it is a planned coup set up from here...for other than minor gains...twenty to forty million,,,that whomever in the situation may be able to skim...why?...it do stink and there must be a american involvement if only because of the popular school of the america's ride...(an e ticket!)...i have read a number of letters posted here and i and i still do not have a reason for why whee would have a hand in it...
confused but with love and prayers...meyer...
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/db20090629_337856.htm?chan=rss_topDiscussed_ssi_5
I'll even cut and paste the section that shows the Amount of Economic and Social Aid the US provided Honduras this fiscal year:
"American economic and social aid to Honduras this fiscal year is set to reach $43.2 million, including funds from the Millennium Challenge, an ambitious anti-poverty program that requires countries to combat corruption and foster the rule of law and democratic institutions. The $215 million in Millennium Challenge funds granted to Honduras for a five-year period ending in 2010 are aimed at increasing farm productivity and improving transportation infrastructure to reduce the cost of getting agricultural goods to market. One third of Honduras' population works in agriculture. Most of those funds already have been disbursed; Honduras is to receive just $3.5 million in Millennium funds this year. In addition to the economic and social aid, Washington is providing some $7.8 million in military and police aid to Honduras this year. "