How to Disappear a Coup in 3 Easy Steps

"Cause your ambassador to the country in question to forget his/her previous cable and to declare elections conducted under an illegal government 'free, fair, and transparent'...."

Artwork by the amazing Carlos Latuff, friend of Salem-News.com located in Rio de Janeiro. To see more of his work, visit: Latuff Gallery

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - The reaction of the U.S. State Department to last year’s coup d’état against Honduran President Mel Zelaya provides an instructive example for governments worldwide who may wish to thwart democracy in their own backyards.

Interested parties are invited to internalize the following three simple steps:

1. Spend as many months as possible debating whether the coup was really a coup or military in nature, and ignore cables from your embassy

   in the country in question stating that “there is no doubt that the military, Supreme Court and National Congress conspired on [INSERT DATE] in what constituted an illegal and unconstitutional coup against the Executive Branch”. [See WikiLeaks release regarding Honduras]

2. Cause your ambassador to the country in question to forget his/her previous cable and to declare elections conducted under an illegal government “free, fair, and transparent”. Ignore fabrications of voter turnout and assassinations of local citizens who continue to regard the ousting of their president as illegal and unconstitutional.
3. Restore any aid that might have been suspended while you were debating whether or not the coup was a coup, and plead to have the country in question reinstated to all regional organizations from which it was banished due to undemocratic behavior.

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Belén is a feature writer at Pulse Media. Her articles also have appeared in CounterPunch, Narco News, Palestine Chronicle, Palestine Think Tank, Rebelión, Tlaxcala, The Electronic Intifada, Upside Down World, and Venezuelanalysis.com. Her book “Coffee with Hezbollah,” a humorous political travelogue chronicling her hitchhiking trip through Lebanon in the aftermath of the 2006 Israeli assault, is available at Amazon, Amazon UK, and Barnes and Noble.

Born in Washington, DC, in 1982, Belén earned her bachelor's degree with a concentration in political science from Columbia University in New York City. Her diverse background of worldwide experiences, created a fantastic writer; one whose work we are extremely happy to share with Salem-News.com viewers. You can contact Belén at: belengarciabernal@gmail.com

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Jack Black December 2, 2010 3:26 am (Pacific time)

Wah! Wah! Wah! I want to sell biodeisel. So let them eat led Presedente Lobo. Their a bunch of expendable peasants anyway. What do they know of business?

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Aaron Ortiz November 29, 2010 9:44 pm (Pacific time)

It seems very ironic that in the illustration the resistencia is seen defending the constitution, which they very vocaly want to replace. I am not suprised to se Belen Fernandez wrote this...her views are the same from before any of this occurred. One sided articles have prevailed. Where is the truth?

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