Narco-state to thrive under a Biden/Trump Presidency
During the presidential debates, blame was thrown around regarding caged children from the northern triangle who were tortured and forcefully separated from family as a measure to deter migration. This subject brings shame to both sides and still there is no concrete action offered to fight the root cause of the issue.
What went wrong?
For decades, democracy has been eroding in the region as the illegal trafficking of narcotics has become an increasingly profitable venture. So much so that drug kingpins were able to place one of their own in the executive office of Honduras, effectively rendering Honduras a narco-state. Recently, total infected in Honduras 91 882 have exceeded China’s 91 621 COVID numbers despite being a fraction of the size and population. This carelessness mixed in with other economic and security related issues, such a lack of basic protections, would reasonably urge unfortunate citizens to leave everything behind to endure an dangerous journey north. As time goes on, we continue to see Honduras descend into a failed state unsuitable for living.
The effects of US Foreign Policy
Since the Monroe Doctrine, The United States remains a key player in foreign policy especially in the Americas. The United States is the top importer of cocaine and other drugs worldwide to the point where demand for the illegal drugs rival demand for legal alcohol.
The Obama/Biden administration was instrumental in the installation of the MACCIH, a Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras which had a limited, yet visible effect. However, during the America First isolationist Trump policy, when investigations began to point to Honduran heads of state, the mission was discontinued. Without a replacement, government officials avoid facing justice for their acts of corruption and continue to remain in power to commit further acts.
The de-facto President of Honduras: Juan Orlando Hernandez has been tied to drug traffickers and has used the military to repress anti corruption protests. The United States has provided weapons and training to the Honduran police and military. Recently, as part of his isolationist “America First” policy, Trump has put an end to this training, his plan falls short since weapon sales are still allowed and Honduras is able to purchase tear gas, used to repress peaceful protesters and bystanders.
Both Biden and Trump still refuse to refer to Honduras as a dictatorship or authoritarian regime, while an identical situation in Venezuela is easily qualified as such. This equivocation foreshadows a continuation of the current state of affairs in the region regardless of the 2020 electoral winner.
Two flawed policies
To strike this issue at the root: both proposals require cooperation and negotiation with a head of state who has participated in, or permitted drug trafficking. Thus, transparency and democracy would be self-defeating to the narco-state. With any of these policies in place, failure in the northern triangle is guaranteed.
The way forward
Let’s tell it like it is. Words have power. A dictator is a dictator, not a President. A drug cartel is a drug cartel, not a government. If Venezuela is a dictatorship, then so is Honduras. We can start to shift the narrative now and encourage the presidency to take a stand without equivocation.
The Honduran Government invests heavily in sustaining fake news as this grants them legitimacy as a proper state and functional government. The news is spread on social media: Facebook and Twitter. These corporations must do more to combat the spread of fake news and should be held liable if they do not.
The President of Honduras currently enjoys diplomatic immunity despite sufficient evidence that has already placed his brother in a US jail. The de-facto president is immune because of international recognition even though the election was evidenced to be fraudulent. Election oversight should be treated more seriously worldwide and not overlooked and invalidated.
International law calls for the respect to the right to request asylum. Remove the impact on the border and open remote asylum application centers in cooperation with the United Nations so asylum seekers are processed in a nearby center quickly and refugees are safely distributed and integrated throughout the world. Honduras has produced many asylum seekers, yet they all struggle qualifying for asylum since modern law evades the spirit of the original law: wherein another country shall protect those at risk of harm and persecution when their home state is unwilling or unable to help. The caravans are a clear indication that asylum is needed even outside the realm of war and armed conflict. Building walls and bribing other countries to hold them back are costly and unethical ways to delay and worsen the problem.
Foreign policy should not include cooperation with criminal organizations. Trump made limited progress in weakening the authoritarian state by retracting aid and military training as a result of his America First policy but needs to go further to prohibit arms sales, and even further to admit the authoritarian nature of the Honduran government. Instead, Trump ultimately sided with a dictator with ties to a drug cartel in exchange for migratory control.
Justice delayed is justice denied. Whoever is elected has no reason to further delay the formal accusation and extradition of the de-facto President of Honduras to face drug conspiracy charges that his brother Tony has already faced in a US Court of Law.
Illegal drug consumption needs to be addressed locally. The DEA continues to be a small institution compared to others, much smaller than ICE. Eliminate the demand for drugs, and the supply from the south will follow.
Money laundering is an essential step for drug traffickers yet authorities are still behind on this. Follow the money! Confiscated assets that would go to the prosecuting country would balance the budget.
All of the above would give Hondurans hope to once again have a democratic government by the people and for the people.