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Honduras And The Cult Of The Presidency

Even so, there is no evidence of Hondurans clamouring for the president’s return with anything like the enthusiasm of outsiders. ~The Economist This much has been clear. Al Giordano can whine about statements from the “Oligarchic Diaspora” to his heart’s content–it doesn’t make the transitional government’s actions any less popular, nor does it change the […]

Even so, there is no evidence of Hondurans clamouring for the president’s return with anything like the enthusiasm of outsiders. ~The Economist

This much has been clear. Al Giordano can whine about statements from the “Oligarchic Diaspora” to his heart’s content–it doesn’t make the transitional government’s actions any less popular, nor does it change the overwhelming consensus of the Honduran political and military leadership that he had to be removed from power. We have seen in many “color” revolutions that the “pro-Western” or “pro-American” faction in other countries is often more oligarchic and has a much narrower social base than its opponents. Naturally, those are the causes that Westerners have embraced wholeheartedly, including during the Iranian protests. Today we have the spectacle of the world united in support of the cause of a disgraced cattle baron with 25% support who allies himself with Hugo Chavez, and they call that support for democracy.

One of the dangers of any sudden change in who holds political power, be it a coup or revolution, is that it does not necessarily reflect public opinion and has not been done with the consent of the majority. Worse than any simply legal violation, it can damage the social and political fabric of the country, and it can tear at the organic constitution that has grown up over time. As a result, the sudden change creates upheaval and conflict in the country, and introduces bitter divisions that can lead to cycles of violent resistance and reprisal. If the change is violent, as if often is, it can radicalize the entire society and make future political compromise impossible. However, what we have seen in Honduras does not fit these descriptions at all. Somehow the deposition of a wildly unpopular, law-breaking president has been declared anti-democratic. I would have thought that only Cheney-like presidential cultists could so closely identify the substance of democracy with the element in modern republican government that is most monarchical, but I would be wrong about that.

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