The next round of diplomatic negotiations aimed at defusing the political crisis in Honduras will begin on Saturday in Costa Rica. The mediator of these negotiations, Costa Rican president Oscar Arias, has requested that ousted Honduran leader Manuel Zelaya show patience while the talks move forward. But on Monday, Zelaya delivered "an ultimatum" to the new Honduran government: If he is not restored to the presidential palace after this weekend's meeting, "the mediation effort will be considered failed and other measures will be taken." A State Department spokesman responded by affirming U.S. support for the Costa Rican talks, saying, "We just have to give time for this process to work."
Zelaya is trying to bully Honduran and Latin American officials by raising the possibility of a rebellion. His cheerleaders include the likes of Hugo Chávez, Daniel Ortega, and the Castro brothers -- the hemisphere's leading symbols of anti-democratic radicalism. This crowd has no real interest in promoting democracy. Rather, it hopes to weaken democracy and spread radical, anti-U.S. populism. Chávez has denounced the Costa Rican negotiations and harshly criticized President Obama.
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