What Kind of "Hope" Is Obama Offering Honduras and Latin America?

For a U.S. audience, to watch as the wet, pinkish-red jelly -- the brains of Isis Odem Murillo, the young man killed last Sunday by the U.S.-trained Honduran military -- spill onto those who carried the Christ-like victim was to watch another tragedy unfold in a far off land.

But for those of us familiar with countries in the region like Honduras and El Salvador, where in 1989 U.S.-trained troops literally shot out the brains of six Jesuit priests, their maid and her young daughter, we see reminders of the possible return of the terror that takes friends, family and colleagues.

Such traumatic memories inform the sense of the past in the Americas, the same past that President Barack Obama recently told his hemispheric audience that he wants to break with. We see this, for example, in repeated references to the "past" Obama made during his important speech before the Summit of the Americas meeting in April ("To move forward, we cannot let ourselves be prisoners of past disagreements." Or: "I didn't come here to debate the past -- I came here to deal with the future.")

Noticeably absent in the forward-looking Obama's messages to Latin America is one of the two words we all identify him and his presidency with: hope.

Whatever the reasons for this omission, Obama would do well to remember that, in the bloodied streets of Honduras, and throughout the Americas, there exists a powerful political tradition in which esperanza (Spanish for "hope") is often defined by overcoming the pro-military policies of the country that took as its own the name given to the entire continent -- "America."

Regardless of the outcome of negotiations to end the standoff in Honduras between the de facto military government and the only recognized leader of the country, President Manuel Zelaya, Obama must view the Honduran crisis as an opportunity to support and negotiate with the forces of esperanza on the continent.

He must do so if he is to overcome the past and move forward as he said in his summit speech: "We have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership."

In the insurgent region of Central America, tiny Honduras is nothing less than ground zero for the first encounter in the hemisphere between the tradition of esperanza and Obama's still-untested notions of "hope."

Contrasted against Obama's still-being-formulated-as-we-speak notions of "hope" and "change" in the region, the movements flying the ancient banner of esperanza have delivered historic shifts across the Americas, as can be seen in the leaders elected in recent years, leaders with no less startling and inspiring stories as Obama's. Indigenous leaders such as Bolivia's Evo Morales; socialist single mothers, and former torture victims, like Chile's Michelle Bachelet; and former steelworkers like Brazil's "Lula" -- Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In times of great crisis, times in which Obama has yet to consolidate a sense of "hope" about the U.S. system in terms of things like health care, banking and jobs, the U.S. president has little to offer Latin America in the way of an alternative to the strides toward universal health care as in Venezuela and Cuba, the nationalization oil and other wealth redistribution programs of Bolivia or the democratization efforts of the deposed Zelaya in Honduras.

Until "hope" has some heft besides military heft to back it up, "esperanza" of Latin America will reign supreme -- and be defended ferociously.

Once called "America's Backyard" by Obama's predecessors, América the continent has torn down the fences of what political scientists call the "unipolar" power of the United States in the region as the forces of esperanza usher in a new, more multipolar moment.

For example, many Latin Americans were not just united in calling for an end to Obama's continuation of the $42.5 million in economic and military aid for Honduras in 2009. (Obama's just-announced cuts in Honduran military aid can be viewed as either the victory of esperanza or the negotiation between esperanza and hope). Polls show that Latin Americans are also fairly unified with regard to their skepticism about U.S. motives in the hemisphere.

According to a widely quoted poll by the respected Latinobarometro Corp. in November, Latin Americans have a more favorable opinion of Spain, Japan and the European Union than they do of the United States -- an unprecedented development -- and two-thirds of all Latin Americans say they "don't believe that the change of leadership in that country (the U.S.) will change the attitude of that country towards the region (of Latin America)."

China, whose foreign aid is mostly non-military (U.S. foreign aid varies between about one-third to two-thirds mostly military aid, as in the case of Colombia), which makes it one of the most important providers of foreign assistance to the region, is tied with the U.S in popularity ratings (58 percent favorable rating) -- and trending upward.

He Li, a political scientist at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., the rising popularity of China reflects a resurgent Latin American sovereignty and independence of action. Writing in the North American Congress on Latin America magazine, Li stated, "the Beijing consensus (in Latin America) represents an attractive alternative to its Washington counterpart, largely because Beijing respects the sovereignty of Latin American nations, not meddling in their affairs and certainly not dictating their policies."

Plus, when compared with the fact that Latin American families who live and work in the U.S. send $50 billion to their families at home -- exponentially more than what the U.S. government gives in aid -- the fountain of U.S.-led "hope" in the Americas appears to have dried up in Washington.

In the land of esperanza, Obama must recognize that talk of "hope" that is accompanied by continued military funding for governments like those of Honduras or Colombia rings hollow. And are as increasingly vapid as the political slogans, such as "Si Se Puede" (Yes We Can), deployed by politicians and corporations pilfering beer, burgers and bad foreign policy.

Although the diplomatic dance between the Obama administration and Latin America has just begun, the initial steps in tiny Honduras may not be taken to the tune of "hope," but to that of esperanza.

This article appeared originally in Alternet www.alternet.org

 

 

Follow Roberto Lovato on Twitter: www.twitter.com/robvato

Comments

[arvay]

I'm not optimistic. Years after the USSR collapsed, we still have NATO.

So much of our relationship with latin America was defined, first, by a Manifest Destiny imperial concept (which once made sense when powerful European imperial powers could actually interfere in the region) and then by the Cold War -- that it's going to take a lot of time to uproot all the militarist­-espionage­-political interference bonds we've built over decades.

These kinds of organizations and relationships do not simply go away. Lots of weeding and political infighting, maybe two full terms of his presidency.

The real question is -- does Obama REALLY want to do that? Or will he fold the first time the Republicans raise the specter of Iranian nukes in Venezuela? Or will some other fantasy prevail? Again, I'm not optimistic -- -- he still regards our proposed "missile shield" in eastern Europe as something more than a joke.

One good thing: our military is already overextended and our economy is in dire straits. Bad for us, good for nations that would like to see us "otherwise occupied."

As the Mexicans say, "so far form God, so close to the United States."

A little breathing room for our neighbors to the south.

[LeroyJenkins]

wait, WHAT??? you mean Obama is saying 1 thing and doing another?

[watchTVgetSTUPID]

Ask Noriega. He is still rotting in prison.

The Monroe Doctrine is alive and kicking

[crush2496]

Mr. Lovato, you forgot to mention a couple of facts in your article but that is ok because in Honduras, we admire the United States and always will. It doesn't matter if is a Democrat or Republican president, if mistake were made before, this country still great. Every four or eight years new ideas come to life and that is beautiful.
The best in the whole world that is freedom, and we are in the process of becoming one just by putting our feet down and say NO MORE.
If you consider freedom what is going on in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua we will say NO THANKS.
If you consider Evo Morales story inspiring wait until you heard the stories that will come out after this storm.
Alone, NO. For the first time in our history I have never felt more protected by my laws, Supreme court and Military.
Zelaya made us read the constitution, unite every judge in the supreme court, we learn the meaning of a peaceful protest, we were not afraid. It was not a protest it was a celebration. Zelaya united every different political parties for one common goal. This is a great time for us.

Your article doesn't represent the situation or how we feel right now.
God bless the US and God bless Honduras.

P.S the Honduran street are not bloodied, trust me, they will if Chavez gets involved and I hope you will cover that too.

[watchTVgetSTUPID]

Today CNN's Fareed Zakaria claimed the Honduras coup was protecting Democracy. He sounded so ridiculous and owned. He claimed the elected president was undemocratic for scheduling a Democratic vote by the Honduran people. He also claimed the military leaders were protecting Democracy by overthrowing the Democratically elected President.

2+2=5 ... white is black .... black is white
Fareed Zakaria is a propagandist
Fareed Zakaria is dangerous
Fareed Zakaria is the face of military subjugation of millions of people like you and me

When will a journalist dare to ask Obama if he will abandon the Monroe doctrine in place since 1823? The Monroe doctrine says the Western Hemisphere is ours to dominate by force if necessary.

Bush/Obama Democracy flowing from the barrel of a Corporate owned gun.

[PKatherine]

If Fareed Zakaria said that today. He was right.

[Mister D]

Well, a lot to unpack from this article, but a couple of points to consider:

(1) Obama doesn't understand how Latin America works. One thing that leaders like Chavez and Ecuador's Correa (Two men Lovato failed to mention--a conscious omission?) have learned from the bad old days is to prevent a coup, you have to hamstring the military: either by dumping the officer corps or developing parallel enlisted paramilitiaries loyal to the state. Zelaya did no such thing; hence his ouster.

(2) To see China as another "guiding light" for Latin America is ludicrous to the extreme. China invests in places that cannot and will not make a fuss about its human rights or lack of democracy. In essence, China has emerged as the most truly "capitalist" state in recent memory--they act purely on monetary gain. Do not be fooled into thinking they will back Latin American countries in any conflict. China would much more quickly run to somewhere where they can exploit resources more quietly.

(3) Why do we not hear about the violations of basic civil rights in Cuba and Venezuela? I have family in Venezuela, family that have often seen the rougher edge of the Chavista regime. Do not prop these regimes as the exemplar of the "new" Latin America. Brazil and Chile are the better examples to study: societies working to democratize and mobilize the poor WITHOUT alienating the business classes that make wealth in the first place.

[PKatherine]

I totally agree with you in all your points.

It is ludicrous to say that Cuba and Venezuela are an example in Latin America. Chile, Brazil, Argentina and other successful countries in South America should be an example.

[sabocat]

Comments like this ignore the fact that Cuba, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Nicaragua all have excellent political relations with Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. In fact, Kirchner and Correa both are supporting Zelaya's return to power, along with the rest of the OAS and indeed the rest of the world except for maybe Canada and perhaps Israel.

[AlinaM]

Please read the following article. Mr. Lovato's version of noblesse oblige may not apply here:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0702/p09s03-coop.html

[mamacat]

However well intentioned he is, there is an awful lot that Obama has to learn about the way that America interacts with the rest of the world.

With Latin America, the military forces south of our border have often had very special relationships with our American military forces. The result has been that their military forces can see themselves as more reliant on the American military than on their own government, thus making democratic processes in those countries much more difficult. Also, unless our civilian authorities excercise very careful oversight over our own military and spy networks, they are liable to use their special relationships with Latin American militaries and spy networks to do whatever they think is in our own interests, which can sometimes be at odds with what the American people might desire. Our relations with Latin America are a real mess.

[WilliamL]

And when will Honduras and Latin America begin to offer a little hope of their own to themselves and to the US?

Amazing the endless caos

[islandsox]

William, I agree. Countries need to try to take better care of their own people and issues. Many times when countries have been buried in poverty and corruption, it is a deep hole to get out of. Trust me, the Hondurans want more for themselves and their children. They didn't even become a democracy until 1982 and have had several very corrupt presidents and cabinets since then. Since I have lived here, I have seen one good solid presidency who did more for the people than others (Maduro). And there are thousands of us Americans here and we have built hospitals, clinics, and schools that offer education, languages, and computers for the first time. My husband and I actually had IBM ship down 100 computers on our dollar and were most happy to do so. Many American businessmen hire as many Hondurans as they can and train them to run their business, not just "give" them a job. We are trying to lift these people out of their stagnant past. I appreciate your comments. Many here are just nasty and refuse to see beyond the 1980's military rule and massive corruption. Honduras has changed for the better, or I wouldn't possibly live in this place. I appreciate your question, it was a great one.

[WilliamL]

While in school in the 80s and coming off of 18 years of living on military bases, what was going on in the region was def. on the forefront of my mind and was fortunate to meet a woman from Honduras whom I knew for years.

One day in one of our f.p. classes, she proceeded with, "you Americans, with your little t-shirts, hats, haircuts, think your tough, think your cool....you know why I am going to school in this country? Because it is your gov't in my back yard killing and raping and helping those who do. It is your country and your gov't and your military so do something about it."

Over and over and over again, the events of the past that the US may or may have not been involved in have been used as an excuse for the current situation.

Legacies of colonialism and that whole line of thinking only holds so much water and am well aware of interests in labor and resources in all the countries with foot prints but some folks need to realize that using such excuses for people who chop children arms off and rape and do all the things they do, just does not fly.

Good luck and safe journeys.

[kaak]

I would like to suggest a book for everybody to read: "War Is A Racket", by General Smedley Butler USMC.

[islandsox]

I live in Honduras. There was without a doubt no military coup whatsoever and no military presence anywhere. Below explains how Zelaya lost his office. I have the complete record, but it's too long to post here. Watch the youtube video. Notice the hundreds of thousands of people peacefully telling the world Zelaya was not above the Constitution. We are trying to confirm if in the beginning those are Hondurans throwing fireballs. Also notice that in Olancho, Zelaya's home town, the people supporting his ousting. The sooner the world wakes up and realizes Honduras just did its most democratic act, the better off this country, which is in your own backyard, will be. Why Obama and Clinton were so quick to throw Honduras under the bus is baffling to me and others. I am an American; been here 8 years.

You are smart people; don't believe bloggers who are not here and have not been here during this time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da9etL5uqy8

With the publishing of this decree in the Gaceta, President Zelaya himself
kicks into motion Article 239 which states that “whomever changes or
attempts to change” article 4 (an unchangeable “petreos” article protected
by Article 374) relating to the alterability of the presidential position,
“will be immediately removed from public office” and lose his/her
constitutional powers. This is very important! As soon as the decree was published, President Zelaya automatically stopped being president and became a regular citizen.

[buttonz]

But no one here will listen because apparently the Honduran constitution is right wing propaganda.

[islandsox]

And just how do you come to that conclusion? The fact that they even have a constitution? Are all constitutions right-wing? If so, you are seriously suppressed in your country then. Are you going to try to find a way to overthrow or amend America's Constitution? Is that the goal here? To do away with America's Constitution? Are you a trans-nationalist?

[sabocat]

It was a non-binding poll. Go troll somewhere else. It was not a legal referendum, just a device to gauge potential popular support for a referendum in the future to rewrite the constitution. Don't you remember 1985, when your man Micheletti sponsored a referendum to extend the presidential term limits? This was different. Crawl back under your rock. No one believes you, at least no one with half a brain.

[sabocat]

You say "we". Reports from the Argentine Defense Minister suggest that the Honduran military is reaching its limit in terms of supporting the coup. What are you folks gonna do when they turn their guns around and point them in the other direction? Got your bags packed?

[sabocat]

Yeah, things are real quiet in Honduras:

Honduran Militant Assassinated in Sane Pedro Sula

Popular leader and leftist militant Roger Bados was killed by unknown
persons in the northern city of San Pedro Sula, according to sources
within the anti-coup movement.

Initial versions indicate that an unknown number of men entered
Bados' home at 8:00 pm, located in the May 6th neighborhood, and shot
him.

Bados was a member of the opposition Party Of Democratic Unification
and the Popular Bloc of San Pedro Sula, located 250 kilometers north
of the capital, and was ex-president of a cement company union in the city.

Honduras has been in the middle of a serious political crisis since
june 28, when a military coup overthrew president Manuel Zelaya.

[fromhonduras]

As a honduran, i continue to hear and read the word coup... it is amazing to me that many do not realize that this is not suh a thing. The goverment is led by a civilian who was second in the line of succesion after Zelaya was removed for violation of the constitution. Honduran demorati institutions demonstrated an unpreendented degree of strength (and some immaturity) by removing a havez wannabe... was it perfect? No. Was it the defense of democray? Darned right!

Zelaya was clearly following the same template that Chavez has created for this so-called bolivarian revolution which aims to set up havez satellites. We continue to move in the right direction and even then Hugo Chavez, Daniel Ortega, Fidel Castro, continue to openly attack our country.

[sabocat]

You keep hearing the word GOLPE because that is what it was:

The Honduran Armed Forces (HAF) have no authority whatsoever – none,
ever – to carry out detention orders of the Supreme Court. If there
were a valid detention order (there was not), it would be the police
forces that would have to be authorized by the court to carry it out.

Having said that, no detention order was even presented when the HAF
broke violently into the President’s residence.

They broke in violently (also illegal) at around 5am, whereas
Honduran law states that authorized entries (which this was not) can
only occurring after 6am.

If there were a valid legal case before the Supreme Court (there is
not, or if there is, no one has seen it), no detention order would
have been issued by the Supreme Court. First, they would have issued
a summons to President Zelaya to present himself, with lawyers,
before the court to hear the charges.

If there were a valid legal case before the Supreme Court (there is
not), if there were a valid detention order (there was not), then the
authorized police forces (no police forces participated in the
violent entry, only the HAF), would have brought the accused –
President Zelaya – to appear before a judge.

As is known, the HAF took Zelaya in his pijamas and slippers to Costa
Rica.

As I said--GOLPE GOLPE GOLPE

[PR one]

To which the Coup defender would respond. "Chavez, Chavez, Chavez, Chavez. Which is their only response.

[islandsox]

I have a post in moderation that is prior to these words below. Maybe this will help you out a bit.

That same day, in blatant disregard to all court rulings, Citizen Manuel
Zelaya gathers a group of protesters and proceeds to the Air Force warehouse
where the ballots had been impounded. He threatens with force and uses human
shields, risking other citizens’ lives. Calling on Article 59, which states
that the protection of “human life is the Constitution and the state’s
supreme responsibi­lity/oblig­ation,” the Armed Forces yield to the mob and
allow Citizen Zelaya and his human shields to take the ballots by force.

Immediately, the Supreme Court issues an arrest warrant for Citizen Manuel
Zelaya for the crimes of (a) attempts against the form of government, (b)
treason to the country, (c) abuse of authority, and (d) usurpation of
functions belonging to other branches of government. The Supreme Court
orders the Armed Forces to serve this arrest warrant because according to
Article 272, the Armed Forces has the constituti­onally-ass­igned
responsibility to maintain and protect the alterability of the presidential
office

[S1m0n]

Hugo Chavez is a populist, not a dictator or even a demagogue*. He hasn't done anything that's illegitimate or even undemocratic. He might, some day, but he hasn't so far, so trying to demonize Zelaya by calling him a Chavez fails to impress. There's nothing wrong with being a Chavez.

*Although it's true that he's closer to 'demagogue' than dictator.

[islandsox]

Except people who have left Venezuela completely disagree with you. Especially those imprisoned for disagreeing with him and his policies. Maria Conchito Alinas (spelling?) the Hollywood actress, has attested to his brutality and pays his supports $8 dollars to protest. She and her brother refused; he was imprisoned; she was not. Don't ask me, ask her. I'm sure you can google her and send her an email. She has spoken out against Chavez and his brutality for several years. All from her experience. The problem with situations like this is people believe everything that is written, especially those places they always go for news. But if one gets down to the nitty-gritty and actually speak with people who have experienced actual situations, the picture is indeed quite different.

[PR one]

UNDER GOD, SHALL HAVE A NEW BIRHT OF FREEDOM.- AND THAT GOVERNMENT, OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE, SHALL NOT PERISH FROM THE EARTH.
How this words resonate nowadays thru out Latin America.

[FloresdelaHoz]

Let's not do anything impulsive. Zelaya is the president of Honduras but Hugo Chavez has geo-political goals for Honduras that are not friendly to the US. Venezuela is not a free country, but it is not a maximum security facility like Cuba. At least so far. But Venezuela is an economic basket case. Productive farmland and cattle ranches that made Venezuela self sufficient 10 years ago are now unproductive ghettos where the poor live day to day. Oil went to $143 a barrel and Hugo used the money to arm his country to the teeth rather than build hospitals, schools and universities. Hugo has driven foreign multinationals out of the country and with that over 300,000 middle class jobs in Caracas alone.

Capitalism has been abused in the region as it has on Wall Street. Today, the facts on the ground are that Castro and Chavez are heros throughout among the poor. The Oligarchies do exist as they do here in the US. Nonetheless, the majority of people in LatAm dislike the Oligarchy more because they are associated with inside dealing than class envy. Sounds like us here in the US. The World Bank and the IMF also contributed to this regional "Capitalism Crisis" with their awful austerity budget mandates that punished the working and middle class.

We need to make capitalism work again in LatAm and in the US. Castro and Hugo cannot be the answer. Obama has work cut out for him. Godspeed.

[sabocat]

This is a pretty evenhanded commentary. I agree there are a dearth of civil liberties in Cuba, but Cuba has decided to sacrifice individualism in favor of national unity against the the continued economic blockade and sabotage of the USA. This is a survival strategy. I tend to think they have no other choice in the matter, unless they want to return to being a colony of the USA.

Now, in terms of reforming capitalism for latin america, I think here you're entering into neo-liberal fantasy land. First, the legacy of capitalism in latin america is one of unequal exchange, colonialism, neocolonialism, primary resource extraction, etc., all of which served to enrich the countries of Europe and later the USA. Some even argue capitalism would not have achieved it's dynamism without all of the wealth plundered from the americas.

Furthermore, if you have not noticed, capitalism is in a global structural crisis of overproduction. The last big crisis thereof resulted in a world war to resolve the crisis. Hard to see how anyone could prescribe such an irrational system for the countries of the south, who are in the process of overthrowing capitalism, little by little, in favor of something which actually works for the majority, and not just for the regional oligarchies.

[buttonz]

Technically a lot of the poverty continued in the 1940's and the prosperity we know of didn't happen until the 1950's.

[PKatherine]

yeah I believe that Cuba just like China became Communists governments as a way to protect themselves from foreign intervention which they suffered far too many times.

But communism is still wrong.

[PR one]

By the way "flores" describes the economic situation in Venezuela Chavez should had been voted out of office by now. But some how the vast majority of the people of Venezuela does not agrees "flores" and his right wing propaganda. Which uses the name of their Boogeyman Chavez every time they put a post.

[islandsox]

Obviously you don't live in Central or Latin America. Chavez pays his supporters, just like many do like Zelaya did. When you leave the United States and head south, bring cash. It works. Also, the most sad part of all is once someone like Chavez or Zelaya get into power, they pay their supporters to protest against challengers, support their own agendas, and all for that loaf of bread or a new bicycle tire. I never believed any of this until I moved here and saw it first hand. People are bought by those wannabe dictators. And they never progress from that point. They remain completely dependent on this social level. And to be sensitive for a moment, Obama would be outraged by all of this if he could see it. But he does see it in America; America's poor. It's absolutely heartbreaking.

[buttonz]

If Socialism (or some form of it) is what Latin America wants than why has Chavez spent hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions ranging from Argentina to Nicaragua? Let's net forget the brutal paramilitary groups that he backs in Columbia that make the US's Cold War involvement look humanitarian. Chavez sees himself as the Simon Bolivar of the 21st Century and is working hard to make his dream a reality whether this is what people want or not.