We applaud the White House’s appointment of Arturo Valenzuela as the assistant secretary of state for western hemispheric affairs. Before assuming his new position, Valenzuela was a Georgetown professor of government, and his confirmation is a welcome development. Valenzuela will bring a wealth of experience to the Obama administration drawn from his years as the director of the Center for Latin American Studies in the School of Foreign Service and from a previous appointment in the Clinton administration. His knowledge of the area will guide U.S. policy on Latin America.
Despite his qualifications, Valenzuela’s nomination was put on hold for almost six months. His confirmation was stalled by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) because of the senator’s objections to the Obama administration’s handling of the political stalemate in Honduras. We echo DeMint’s concern over the administration’s initial position on the situation in Honduras.
Earlier this summer, then-president of Honduras Manuel Zelaya followed the lead of Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez by calling for a referendum that would allow him to run for office again. If Zelaya had been elected, he would have exceeded the term limit set by the Honduran constitution. For this reason, the Honduran Supreme Court ordered Zelaya to cancel the referendum. When he refused to do so, the court ordered his arrest, and the Honduran National Congress removed him from office. The Congress then named Roberto Micheletti – a member of Zelaya’s own political party – as his successor.
Immediately following Zelaya’s removal, the United States and several Western European nations condemned the alleged coup. Maintaining that the military ousting of Zelaya was illegal, the Obama administration was quick to criticize the newly instated government. During his confirmation hearing, Valenzuela aligned with this position in labeling the alleged coup as “not legal” and “unacceptable”.
The White House stance was problematic, however, because the Honduran military was supported by the Honduran Supreme Court and Congress, both of which took measures to ensure the legitimacy of Zelaya’s removal. The government relieved Zelaya of his position only after he had illegally defied the Supreme Court order to cancel the referendum. Critics of the administration, including DeMint, called upon the international community and the United States to recognize the legality of Zelaya’s dismissal. The U.S. State Department recently did so implicitly by promising to recognize the of the upcoming elections, scheduled for 2010, even if Zelaya is not reinstated.
DeMint lifted his hold on Valenzuela’s nomination after receiving this assurance. We lament that Valenzuela’s confirmation was held up for so long because of this political maneuvering. More specifically, we are concerned that the administration rashly judged the events in Honduras without adequately evaluating their legality. In other areas – such as the war in Afghanistan – Obama has demonstrated a tendency to take his time and to carefully weigh his options before establishing his position. In the future we hope he will adopt a similar approach in his dealings with Honduras and other Latin American nations.”
