The coup in Honduras: another episode of imperial wars in Latin America by Jules Dufour, Ph.D., is president of the Canadian Association for the United Nations (UNA) / Section Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, a professor emeritus at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi, a member of the universal circle of Ambassadors of Peace, a member knight of the Ordre national du Québec .
"The coup means a reversal of power by a person in authority, illegally and often brutal. It differs from a revolution in that it is popular. The coup, often treated as synonymous with the coup, more precisely refers to an attempt to seize power by force. "
Under the terms of these definitions, abduction or forced eviction of the President of Honduras carried out on June 28 last is undoubtedly a coup and it proves once again the manifestation of the intervention forces imperialists who can not tolerate a national government is to serve the people. It is not different from the many coups that have marked Latin American politics during the twentieth century in overthrowing progressive governments and leading a series of armed conflicts or long term. It is important to bring to our mind the scale that has characterized some of them to grasp the scope and consequences they have had on the future governance of countries affected.
This coup must not blind us to the other armed conflicts that persist in Latin America and those we are trying to foment in order to retain control of access to strategic resources and markets of the region (Figure 1).
I. Coups Modesto Emilio Guerrero
According echoing Cursio of Malaparte, the author of the Tecnica del Golpe de Estado, the coup "is nothing but a power resource when fear of losing power. " The coup, according to the author, is the means used by the dominant classes when they can no longer count on the assistance provided to them by constitutional and democratic rule.
In Honduras President Zelaya, having led his country to join the Alianza Bolivariana de las Americas (ALBA), became in the eyes of the moneyed oligarchy in this country, a threat to their interests and thus the interests of the United States and a key element in America isthmus, in the process of liberation of the peoples of this strategic area in which it is envisaged since 2001 to implement the Plan Puebla-Panama (Figure 2). The plan or project called "Sustainable Development and integral" is intended full integration of Central American economies to the great platform NAFTA through its annexation to the economy in nine states of southern Mexico.
This plan would result in a dependency and subjugation highest of any region of the imperialist U.S. and its closest allies such as the junta that ousted President Zelaya. This project is a continuation of efforts to create the Free Trade Area of the Americas (ZLÉ.A.) so dear to the former GW Bush administration. After the FTA (Canada-US) in 1989 and NAFTA (Mexico, Canada and USA) in 1994, the Plan Puebla-Panama is a significant part of this enterprise "Economic Integration Conference (
http://www.mondialisation.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6553 ).
In the 20th century, Latin America has experienced more than 327 coups, which in many cases, have implemented repressive military dictatorships and bloody. Indeed, between 1902 and 2002 this process has affected the political and social life in over 25 countries killing hundreds of thousands of people (Leitenberg, M., 2006). Countries that experienced the greatest number of coups are Bolivia with 56, Guatemala with 36 from 1944, with 31 Peru, Panama with 24, with 23 Ecuador, Cuba with 17, with 16 Haiti, the Dominican Republic with 16, Brazil with 10, Chile 9 and Argentina with 8.
The overthrow of the government of Salvador Allende in Chile in September 1973 and the repression that followed is one of the most tragic experienced by the Latin American peoples. During the coup itself 5,000 people were killed and the Pinochet regime executed or put away more than 20,000 people in 1974 (Leitenberg, M., 2006).
II. Armed conflict According to data compiled by M. Leitenberg, in the twentieth century, Latin America has experienced a twenty major armed conflicts in fourteen countries (Mexico and Haiti, not included) that have killed nearly 1 million people (Leitenberg, M. , 2006).
In Colombia, the current regime, akin to a military dictatorship, continued since 1964 without a war against the people thank you, a war a genocide that has caused the deaths of over 200 000 people, including 40 000 since 1990. There are also, since 1979, killing 475 000 people by the national armed forces, various paramilitary factions and the armed forces guerrillas. This "total" war has displaced more than three million people inside the country, this figure is underestimated because of the fear of the IDPs to register their names in official records.
confession made recently by the demobilized paramilitaries to Colombian prosecutors, the unit for Justice and Peace "are simply horrifying:" To date, the demobilized fighters have confessed to 27,382 crimes, including 22,130 murders, disappearances 1867 forced, 719 kidnappings ... "The prosecutor Luis Gonzalez, the figures would "Tip of the iceberg" because the prosecution has so far recorded 250,000 crimes (massacres, murders, rapes, abductions, torture) could be attributed to far-right militias.
Between 1966 and 1995, the guerrilla war which raged in Guatemala has killed 227 500 people. Between 1966 and 1989 clashes between the government and Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) have killed 200,000 civilians and 17,500 military and the massacres perpetrated against the indigenous peoples were exterminated between 1990 and 1995, more than 10 000 people (Leitenberg, M., 2006).
Until now, the coup in Honduras has not yet degenerated into armed conflict or civil war, but the call for popular insurrection made by President Zelaya could cause a hardening of positions on the junta in de facto power and triggering a wave of repression whose consequences are difficult to predict whether the same lot of support enjoyed by the deposed president suggest that the constitutional order should be restored to his reinstatement in his post.
III. ALBA and the continuation of the Bolivarian revolution This coup must also be analyzed in the context of continuing the Bolivarian revolution and the process of liberalization of Latin American peoples from the clutches of imperialism U.S. nationals. This process was initiated early in this century has developed gradually with the accession of several countries at the Alianza Bolivariana para las Américas (ALBA), a commercial-political alliance created December 14, 2004 by Venezuela and Cuba which was added to Bolivia in 2006 (Lescot, P., 2006). According to Thelma Mejia, "ALBA was launched at the Summit of the Peoples held parallel to the formal meeting of Heads of State at the Fourth Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata in Argentina in 2005. It presents itself as an alternative to neo-liberal free market and is an expression of cooperation, solidarity and complementarity involved in the fight against poverty, inequality between persons and inequality terms of trade, according to the seminal text "(Mejia, T., 2008). Subsequently, other countries have joined ALBA such as Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, Ecuador and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with a population exceeding 77 million inhabitants in 2009 (Figure 3).
Honduras
member of ALBA. An intolerable situation for the propertied oligarchies
During the accession ceremony President Chavez said "the courage of President Zelaya because" despite the demonization of ALBA, it has not hesitate to join the project of integration of Latin America based on reflection and the spirit of our foremost heroes. Today, we just do not sign a pact of solidarity between brothers, but also an integration project for Latin America which stands as an alternative to imperial hegemony and aims to gradually integrate the governments that propose a solution out of imperialist oppression, "said Chavez." President Zelaya and added: "The accession of Honduras to the ALBA is" an act of freedom, because we are free and we are a sovereign people, " Zelaya said. "This is a heroic act of independence and we do not need permission to sign such a commitment. Today we are one step closer to a center-left, and if someone does not like it, it simply removes the word 'center' to stick to the second term. "
President Zelaya added: "The benefits of joining ALBA, there are plans to improve health, nutrition, education and culture then" thank you, Mr. President Chávez for us to open the roads to freedom for Latin Americans, because we are not born or to be slaves, nor to have masters, "said Zelaya. "When I met with [U.S. President] George W. Bush, no one called me an anti-imperialist and business even applauded me. Now that I'm in a meeting with the poor peoples of the world, they criticize me. I hope they will retract their statements during the next few hours. Who said they had an absolute right to privatization? I invite them to participate in dialogue and to sign a national pact with a real vision for the country, "said Zelaya. According to the analysis
given by Ana Maria Duarte, "when he began his term in January 2006, the Honduran Liberal Party (PLH), a majority in Parliament passes laws for citizen participation. Zelaya seized it to start the consultation by the abortive coup. It immediately eliminates tuition, creates a fund to support SMEs and a program to improve food production in rural areas. He received popular support, but strikes in succession, it increases the minimum wage by 60%. Several major crises needed: energy crisis, the bankruptcy of the national electricity company (ENEE), the debt crisis and health system. Despite the incessant demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which calls for greater privatization and fiscal discipline, he was awarded a partial condemnation of the debt. In an attempt to solve the energy crisis, he approaches Hugo Chavez, with the approval of Bush and the oligarchy. The Honduran National Party (HNP), however, raises the risk of political contagion. Zelaya became the target of a violent campaign of the conservative press. Membership of the Bolivarian Alternative (Alba), in 2008, is ratified by Congress, but the HNP fails.
The left turn from the President Zelaya, in the eyes of the propertied oligarchies, could still be managed in line with their interests, but the membership of ALBA medium term could threaten the highest point and it became imperative, when he expressed the intention to assume another term, to remove him from power. These elements are central to the current crisis and it is likely that there will be a similar scenario when other countries engage in the same way as the Bolivarian revolution is irresistible and will take a considerable expansion of the financial crisis Overall, since it is an alternative viable for the future of the peoples of Latin America. The coup could only convince them more that it is in their interest to join the ALBA and gather together the strengths of people who have been oppressed for centuries under the rule of the old and new colonialists .
Conclusion The coup of Honduras is definitely an event for members of ALBA. They must act with circumspection in order to enjoy this special time to strengthen their relationship and begin a rapprochement with several other countries in the hemisphere and convince joining the Alliance. They must continue to support the proposed reinstatement of the constitutional order in Honduras and work together with international and regional institutions to maintain their support. They must also promote passive resistance by encouraging a gradual isolation of the junta de facto to get him to understand that it is in the interest of the nation and peace in Central America to return to the President elected the powers vested in him. It is a call that must be repeated in all forums worldwide.
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