U.S. terminates aid / acknowledges complexity

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, responding to calls to increase pressure on the de facto Honduras government, announced the termination on Thursday of about $22 million in United States aid that was suspended immediately after President Manuel Zelaya was deposed.

Yet there is an acknowledgment of the complexity of the situation:

I would contest that this situation can be resolved with easy formulas. This situation is complex. If it weren’t it would have already been resolved.

- Senior State Department Official

Source: New York Times

Obviously the Obama administration is free to take whatever steps it feels are in the best interests of the U.S. It's heartening that at least one official at the State Department realizes the complexity of the situation Manuel Zelaya selfishly created for his fellow Hondurans.

What concerns me more than anything is this talk about not recognizing the November elections. When have elections ever been a bad thing? Rigorously monitor them, yes, but not recognize them? Many Hondurans see the elections as the way out of this situation. The U.S. not recognizing the elections would amount to a scorched earth policy, bringing tremendous hardship on the Honduran people long after Zelaya's term would have officially ended. We are friends and allies of the United States for chrissake! Do we really deserve this for defending our democracy from an onslaught by Hugo Chavez?