CAFTA Signatory Honduras Falls Victim to a Coup

Recently ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was in Washington, DC earlier this month and met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Zelaya was roused from bed at gunpoint by the Honduran military, forced on a plane, and flown to Costa Rica in June. Since then, the de facto government has violated civil liberties left and right: The Huffington Post reports that Zelaya supporters have been killed, hundreds of people have been assaulted by armed forces, and over a thousand have been illegally detained. Meanwhile, press and media outlets have been shut down and journalists have been arrested and detained. 

Zelaya was criticized by Honduran elites for his progressive policies: During his tenure, Zelaya’s administration raised the minimum wage, gave out free school lunches, provided pensions for the elderly, distributed energy-saving light bulbs, decreased the price of public transportation, expanded scholarships for students, and passed legislation to protect the environment. He enjoys broad popular support, especially from unions, human rights groups, indigenous groups and peasant associations. 

The situation in Honduras has a number of important implications: Fair traders have long argued that NAFTA-style deals promote instability and now Honduras, a signatory to CAFTA, has suffered Central America’s first coup since the Cold War. CAFTA was approved in Honduras by local elites, the same interests who are threatened by Zelaya’s progressive policies. The instability in Honduras is an illustration of how NAFTA-style trade agreements can undermine democratic governance in member nations.