Human Blowback from US Interventions

[Judi Lynn]

Human Blowback from US Interventions
July 13, 2014

The flight of Central American children north to the U.S. border is another form of blowback from decades of U.S. refusal to permit reformist governments in the region, including the State Department’s support for a 2009 coup ousting Honduran President Zelaya, writes William Blum at Anti-Empire Report.

By William Blum

The number of children attempting to cross the Mexican border into the United States has risen dramatically in the last five years: In fiscal year 2009 (Oct. 1, 2009 – Sept. 30, 2010) about 6,000 unaccompanied minors were detained near the border. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimates for the fiscal year 2014 the detention of as many as 74,000 unaccompanied minors.

Approximately 28 percent of the children detained this year are from Honduras, 24 percent from Guatemala, and 21 percent from El Salvador. The particularly severe increases in Honduran migration are a direct result of the June 28, 2009 military coup that overthrew the democratically-elected president, Manuel Zelaya, after he did things like raising the minimum wage, giving subsidies to small farmers, and instituting free education.

The coup – like so many others in Latin America – was led by a graduate of Washington’s infamous School of the Americas.

As per the standard Western Hemisphere script, the Honduran coup was followed by the abusive policies of the new regime, loyally supported by the United States. The State Department was virtually alone in the Western Hemisphere in not unequivocally condemning the Honduran coup.

Indeed, the Obama administration has refused to call it a coup, which, under American law, would tie Washington’s hands as to the amount of support it could give the coup government. This denial of reality still persists even though a U.S. embassy cable released by Wikileaks in 2010 declared: “There is no doubt that the military, Supreme Court and National Congress conspired on June 28 (2009) in what constituted an illegal and unconstitutional coup against the Executive Branch.”

More:
http://consortiumnews.com/2014/07/13/human-blowback-from-us-interventions/

[dipsydoodle]

1. denial of reality

in the USA's own selfish interest.

So what's new ?

[stuffmatters]

2. Thank you, this is an excellent analysis/summary

As illuminated last week here on DU, Nicaragua has more successfully resisted US Empire; Nicaraqua is not a major country these refugees are forced to flee.

[Judi Lynn]

3. You notice our corporate media NEVER will stoop to covering any news whatsoever regarding Nicaragua.

It was a treat seeing someone wrote an article pointing out the facts regarding Central American countries and refugees.