Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis

by Jonathan Blitzer

The current president was Roberto Micheletti, the leader of the coup. “No matter what the merits of the case against Zelaya, his forced removal was clearly illegal,” the US ambassador wrote in a confidential cable to the State Department and White House. “Micheletti’s ascendence as ‘interim president’ was totally illegitimate.” Eventually, in late October, the Americans brokered a deal: Zelaya would be restored to power until the country had its scheduled elections at the end of November. When Micheletti reneged, several days later, the US shocked everyone by accepting the outcome of the elections anyway. Massive protests were already raging across the country, but they intensified when the National Party went on to win the election. The new president, Porfirio Lobo, called in troops to police the streets, installing checkpoints and passing a law to create a slush fund for security operations. A new conservative order was installing itself in power. The party deposed four Supreme Court judges and illegally appointed a new attorney general.