Honduras and Paraguay coups raise questions about Venezuela

Honduras and Paraguay coups raise questions about Venezuela
by: W. T. Whitney Jr.
May 6 2015

Logically, coups which have taken place in Honduras and Paraguay might serve the U.S. government as models for bringing down Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution. Harsh methods of the past - for example, in Guatemala (1954), Cuba (1959 on), and Chile (1973) - were problematic, and hence are rejected for the time being. Besides, they may be unnecessary.

A U.S. approach of mere watchful waiting was successful in achieving strategic goals in both countries: popular movements are stymied, elites are in charge, and governance fits with global capitalism. What actually happened deserves a look by way of suggesting what might be achieved in U.S. dealings with Venezuela using similar methods.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández took office in January, 2014 after a fraudulent election. His presidency owes ultimately to the military coup that ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya on June 28, 2009. The U.S. ambassador knew about the coup beforehand. The plane taking Zelaya to exile stopped first at a U.S. air base. And the United States quickly recognized Porfirio Lobo as Zelaya's successor despite voter absenteeism and electoral fraud.

Zelaya had offended by upping Honduras' minimum wage, promoting agrarian reform, and calling for a constituent assembly. He arranged for Honduras to join the Cuban and Venezuelan-inspired ALBA solidarity alliance.

Interviewed recently, Gilberto Ríos Munguía, a leader of the opposition National Front of Popular Resistance, reported that 72 percent of Hondurans live in poverty, 53 percent, in "extreme poverty." The minimum wage pays for less than half of families' average monthly food costs.

More:
http://peoplesworld.org/honduras-and-paraguay-coups-raise-questions-about-venezuela/