The coup that wasn't

Zelaya: "We won't receive your new ambassador"
Caricatures by Dario Banegas, La Prensa

I gave an update on the coup in the comments section, but then started thinking that not all of the Blogicito readers read the comments. (Please do! They are often more brilliant than the articles. )

But for those who didn't read my comment on the Planned coup rumor article, I thought that I should officially inform you that there was no golpe de estado (coup d'état) either by or against the president. That's just in case you were wondering if we were dodging bullets and bombs or are eating the last of the frijoles because it isn't safe to travel the highway.

Nope. All is normal. As normal as Honduras ever is.

Last week's excitement was President Zelaya's refusal to accept the credentials of Honduras' new US Ambassador which caused quite a stir. Aaron of Pensieve wrote about in Lunacy in Honduras. If you keep up with international news, you'll know that Presidents Evo Morales of Bolivia and Hugo Chávez of Venezuela both ousted their US Ambassadors and the US ousted the Bolivian Ambassador.

President Zelaya decided to show solidarity with his new ALBA pals. The country was shocked! The US is the major trading partner of Honduras and is considered by most to be a friend, though not everyone agrees with many of the US trading practices. This move was particularly unpopular with the more than a million Hondurans who live in the US who worry about their status there. Their remesas (money transfers) to relatives here in Honduras represent about a third of the country's income!

I'll have to say that this move also caused some concern from US residents in Honduras. After all, Chávez has ousted many US Americans from Venezuela. Most of us aren't used to such political uncertainty. However, Hondurans that we spoke to invariably said "No worries. This, too, shall pass."

Even worse was the manner in which Zelaya communicated this. He sent a text message to reporters at 3 a.m. and did not even notify the Embassy. The US Embassy found out when they were asked for comments by reporters. Zelaya, apparently realizing his diplomatic faux paux, quickly backtracked, announcing it was a only a delay, that it would cause no harm in US-Honduras relations, that the US didn't really care what a humble little country like Honduras does, that it was normal practice, only a technicality, blah, blah, blah. The ceremonies for the new ambassador will held next Friday.

President Zelaya continues to prove my "king theory" by seeming to shoot from the hip without considering the wishes of the majority of the country. I don't know if he has very bad advisors or if he truly believes that he can do anything he wants to.

Ángel in Tegucigalpa says, "Here we go again, another chapter in this soap opera".