tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post241810284453591535..comments2024-02-21T05:16:22.788-05:00Comments on Two Weeks Notice: A Latin American Politics Blog: The more things change...Greg Weekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765114859595124082noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-59306476377518325702009-08-19T11:44:35.143-04:002009-08-19T11:44:35.143-04:00Thanks for elaborating, Greg.
because of circums...Thanks for elaborating, Greg.<br /><br /><i> because of circumstances they [the elites] have to acknowledge "an error" in his exile</i><br /><br />Circumstances which include:<br /><br /> - sustained broad resistance to the coup inside Honduras<br /><br /> - universal diplomatic recognition of the illegal coup and the illegitimacy of the current government<br /><br /> - the military's own acknowledgement (in the Bayardo interview) that the forced exile was illegal.Nellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01969732734453586544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-23483624743352684502009-08-18T22:54:24.883-04:002009-08-18T22:54:24.883-04:00In developing countries with weak institutions, it...In developing countries with weak institutions, it is often the case that the military is seen as the only apparatus capable of handling a crisis, whether the chaos comes from political deadlock or a hurricane or earthquake.<br /><br />That perception is what makes it all the more critical that the military not overrule its civilian overseers, even when their competence and credibility is widely questioned. Otherwise, military leaders will quickly get used to holding veto power, an authority they may not wish to cede in quieter times.Benjamin N. Gedanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09645034524970521213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-12423153649967547532009-08-18T19:06:07.593-04:002009-08-18T19:06:07.593-04:00What I think is more interesting is the piss-poor ...What I think is more interesting is the piss-poor performance of the Honduran media. Is there a fancy theory why the private press hops on the coup bandwagon (in Venezuela as well) even when it is shown to have very tepid popular support? Or does the basic Marxist theory still best apply?leftsidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-11558271471678432972009-08-18T18:56:44.925-04:002009-08-18T18:56:44.925-04:00Not even Stepan would say his argument is "fa...Not even Stepan would say his argument is "fancy." If you read the book, it is based on years of attention to Brazilian officer formation, military education, etc. There is a difference between moderating (handing off power) and directing (taking power). Saying "elites back military action" doesn't mean much if you do not understand what they back and why.Greg Weekshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15765114859595124082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-16812289061935560982009-08-18T18:22:50.434-04:002009-08-18T18:22:50.434-04:00Do we really need a fancy theory to tell us that p...Do we really need a fancy theory to tell us that political elites are going to back military action when it comes to prevent changes to the existing system?leftsidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-86979991371299485052009-08-18T17:12:13.025-04:002009-08-18T17:12:13.025-04:00I think a majority of political elites are very ha...I think a majority of political elites are very happy with the military's role, though because of circumstances they have to acknowledge "an error" in his exile. But this case is very much along the lines of Stepan's "poder moderador" model.Greg Weekshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15765114859595124082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-22099608260552117342009-08-18T14:34:16.395-04:002009-08-18T14:34:16.395-04:00Would you be willing to spell out how you see the ...Would you be willing to spell out how you see the application of that passage to Honduras? <br /><br />A fairly broad segment of the elite and Honduran society accepted the military's "checking the executive" when Vasquez refused to order the military to protect the <i>encuesta</i>. That had a veneer of legalism.<br /><br />But June 28?<br /><br />The military certainly sees itself with a still deeply imbedded and explicitly political role, as expressed by Col. Bayardo in a part of his interview you noted: <br /><br /><i>“It would be difficult for us, with our training, to have a relationship with a leftist government. That's impossible.”</i><br /><br />The question is what proportion of the Honduran elite and Honduran society at large agree that the high command should be permitted to act as they did on that basis. It doesn't seem to me as if a majority of either group really does at this point.Nellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01969732734453586544noreply@blogger.com