What price Democracy? The hidden forces behind the Honduran coup

In June last year, Manuel Zelaya, the democratically elected President of Honduras, was kidnapped in a military coup, and flown to Costa Rica. Honduras has long been an ally of the US, which is its chief trading partner, and maintains a military base in the country. However, during his presidency, Zelaya had moved sharply to the left, and there was a strong perception that he was becoming allied to the radical forces in Latin America. Following the coup, in complete contradiction to its avowed defence of democracy, the US took very timid and insubstantial steps against his abductors, and the future remains uncertain. Francisco Dominguez is the Head of the Centre for Brazilian and Latin American Studies at Middlesex University, and has broadcast and published extensively on issues within the region. He will discuss the current situation within Honduras, and its implications for the global political order.

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