Obama Breaks with Latin America on Overturning Honduran Coup

Interview with Dana Frank, professor of history at the University of California, conducted by Scott Harris

After a U.S. State Department-brokered agreement unraveled, Honduran President Manual Zelaya -- overthrown in a June 28 coup -- has rejected the legitimacy of the scheduled Nov. 29 presidential election and urged his supporters to boycott the vote. The Oct. 30 deal would have had the Honduran Congress vote on reinstating Zelaya to office, paving the way for the resignation of the coup-installed President Roberto Micheletti and the formation of a unity government which would then oversee the Nov. 29 ballot.

The accord fell apart after the Honduran Congress announced it would delay a vote on Zelaya's return to power until it received a judgment from the nation's Supreme Court. In response Zelaya, who has taken refuge in the Brazilian embassy in the Honduran capital, refused to participate in forming the coalition government. The Obama administration further complicated matters when it declared Washington would recognize the winner of the presidential election, despite the coup government's refusal to step down. Washington's position is in direct conflict with most governments across Latin America and the European Union, who have stated they will not recognize the result of the election until Zelaya is returned to office.

In a scathing letter sent to President Obama on Nov. 14, Zelaya rejected any last-minute revival of a settlement when he stated, "As the elected president of the Honduran people, I reaffirm my position that starting today, no matter what, I will not accept any agreement on returning to the presidency of the republic to cover up this coup d'etat." Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Dana Frank, professor of history at the University of California, Santa Cruz who helped organize a letter to President Obama signed by some 240 academics and experts on Latin America, urging him to denounce human rights violations in Honduras and reject any election overseen by the coup government. She examines why the Obama administration has decided to change its position on Honduras.

For more information on the situation in Honduras, visit the website: www.hondurasresists.blogspot.com

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