The June 28 coup in Honduras, which ousted the country's legitimate leader Manuel Zelaya, represents an historic test for US President Obama, writes Mario Soares, ex-president and ex-prime minister of Portugal.
For the first time in the 200-year history of US-Central and South American relations, a US president has unequivocally condemned the military overthrow of a democratic government. Normally Washington backed such coups, when it didn't in fact support or even play a part in them. Obama has announced, and is putting into practice, a policy towards Latin America that is diametrically opposite that of his predecessors, as seen in his opening towards Cuba and the overtures to Chavez.
It is auspicious that the armed forces of Honduras have shown their support for a negotiated solution to the crisis mediated by Costa Rican president and Nobel peace laureate Oscar Arias. Meanwhile international pressure and dwindling supplies are beginning to make conditions in Honduras extremely difficult. One factor seems decisive: Obama cannot go back on the commitment he made immediately after the coup. If he did -and I don't think he would- he would lose an invaluable source of political capital: the credibility he enjoys in Latin America.
Global Issues