Washington Uses Drug Trafficking Narratives to Destabilize Honduras
Honduran President Xiomara Castro. Photo: X/ @JorgeGestoso
September 4, 2024 Hour: 1:08 pm
An old video is being deliberately taken out of context to raise doubts about the integrity of the Castro administration.
In an interview with teleSUR, Gilberto Rios, a leader of the National Front of Popular Resistance and a member of the Freedom and Refoundation Party (Free), accused the United States of using the narrative of drug trafficking to destabilize the government of President Xiomara Castro.
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“They are deploying narratives focused on drug trafficking to incriminate progressive political leaders,” Rios said, noting that transnational far-right forces are using a 2013 video to spread propaganda against the Castro administration.
In that video, individuals linked to drug trafficking and Carlos Zelaya, brother of former President Manuel Zelaya and brother-in-law of President Castro, are seen.
On Saturday, Carlos Zelaya admitted that he met with drug traffickers who offered contributions to the Free Party’s campaign but denied receiving any money. To facilitate investigations, he announced his resignation as secretary of the Honduran congress.
Rios explained that the video was always in the hands of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and that its interpretation is being deliberately taken out of context to sow doubts about the integrity of the Castro administration. This tactic is not new. Rios recalled that U.S. Ambassador Dogu had played a similar role in Nicaragua in 2018, where she orchestrated the plan against President Daniel Ortega.
“From the beginning of her tenure, Dogu has dedicated herself to criticizing policies,” the Honduran social leader emphasized, highlighting the similarity of the methods used in both countries.
A Short History of U.S. Interventions
U.S. intervention in Honduras is not a new phenomenon. Since the overthrow of President Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala in 1954, Latin American governments have suffered numerous interventions orchestrated or supported by the United States.
Disguised as acts in defense of so-called “Western values,” these interventions have sought to maintain U.S. influence in the region by promoting regimes aligned with their interests and destabilizing leaders who deviate from their geopolitical guidelines.
In Honduras, the 2009 coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya is a clear example of this trend. Since then, the country has been marked by political instability and U.S. influence in its internal affairs.
The current attempt at destabilization follows the same pattern. However, this time, the drug trafficking narrative is being used to legitimize a possible coup against the leftist government, Rios emphasized, recalling that Castro has already faced seven coup attempts in her first two years in office.
The Role of U.S. Ambassador Dogu
Rios argues that Laura Dogu “orchestrated all opposition forces to confront the Castro administration and the Free Party, thus seeking to reverse progressive advances in the country.”
“From the start of her mission, Dogu has focused on criticizing the measures taken by Castro, particularly those aimed at changing neoliberal structures inherited from previous administrations,” the Honduran social leader said.
“The local right-wing has little capacity for action,” he added, explaining that the Honduran opposition lacks its own national project and depends on external intervention to sustain itself.
The Rebuilding of Honduras
Led by President Castro and the Free Party, the “Refoundation Process” seeks to transform the country’s political and economic structures, moving away from the neoliberal policies that have prevailed in Honduras for decades.
The transformation has faced strong resistance from the United States and its local allies, who see their interests in the region threatened, Rios explained.
“Important battles were fought in the National Congress to elect an independent prosecutor and to achieve transformation at the top of the Supreme Justice Court,” Rios recalled, warning that these changes have increased internal and external pressures against President Castro.
“Our activism was constant throughout the resistance period,” he said, emphasizing that the rebuilding process continues the struggle for a more just and sovereign country.
teleSUR/ JF Source: teleSUR
