Wasn’t Obama supposed to be an enlightened being, not a vengeful, jealous one?
But I can't attribute any other reason than petty revenge or something for this inexplicable action:
Reporting from Washington -- The Obama administration, seeking to increase pressure on Honduras' de facto government to accept a peace deal, has revoked the diplomatic visas of four Honduran officials, the State Department said Tuesday.
Spokesman Ian Kelly said the targeted officials worked in the Honduran government ousted in a coup one month ago, but stayed on to serve in the government that took over. He said U.S. officials were reviewing the visas of all officials in the de facto government, as well as those of family members.
I suppose their "we don't have a diplomatic relationship with the current 'regime' in Honduras so there is no diplomatic visa for their officials" can be understood as some sort of justification, with some twisting of common sense and really bad strategic decision, given who our allies are and who are enemies are.
But I thought Obama was an enlightened being! After all, shouldn't this caring, extraordinary politician, nay messiah, care about the little guy (Honduran diplomats) caught in the middle of the storm?
The One isn't exactly trying to peg these diplomats to any particular crimes or overt act of sympathy towards the interim government in Honduras, so, let's suppose these guys are just ordinary government officials who serve their people, with no strong agenda of their own. Imagine that you are one of these diplomats, and you were serving your term in U.S. In the middle of your term here, the president is overthrown, and U.S. takes this opportunity to intervene in your country's internal affair, withdrawing diplomatic recognition and what not. What do you do?
You really only have three options here:
- you go back to your country: but if you are still willing to serve your country and the people, they probably want you to stay here to speak on their behalf
- you stay here, finishing up your term, on the same diplomatic visa (because really, no other visa is available)
- or you apply for refugee visa and "defect" to U.S.
So what is Obama trying to make these guys do? Are we to think that an enlightened, transcendental being like Obama would want to put the diplomats' families under duress by forcing them to move back to Honduras (no longer being unable to serve their people, they now only have two options)? Or are we to think that Obama is so deluded with his own majestic aura of charisma that he thinks he can openly encourage these diplomats to apply for refugee status in U.S. with impunity?
And after all, exactly how does this put pressure on the Honduran interim government (not that I want anyone to)? Obama admits that we already do not recognize our diplomatic ties. How does revoking their diplomats' visa pressure them any further? Are we going to arrest them for being here "undocumented" and maybe start torturing them? Make them go on "hunger strike" until Hondurans recant?
This makes no sense at all, unless, instead of being an enlightened, caring person, he is a petty, vengeful Chicago machine politician.
Edit: Oh. Apparently these are visas of government officials, but not necessarily those of active diplomats serving in U.S.. But most of my points above stand (perhaps minus causing duress to the diplomat families) regardless. These actions are at best petty and vengeful, like Arkansas revoking Clinton's law license, and at worst, we have further alienated a strategic ally in the region.