The Carr Center, in collaboration with the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) at Harvard, will be pursuing a one day conference to explore in greater depth the nature and implications of the crisis in Honduras. The idea is to explore the different angles of the events in the country, looking at the Central American historical context in which democratization took place, examining the impending constitutional crisis that resulted from a clash of internal powers, analyzing what international forces (Latin American countries, the US, OAS, mediators) were at play and what was their response to the crisis. Finally, the implications of the current crisis in terms of the confrontation of forces alluded earlier on how democracy is exercised throughout the continent.

Because it is so recent, the Honduras case involves preliminary exploration in order to clarify main themes that subsequently may involve substantial additional research and analysis. The Conference is intended as a first step in breaking ground about issues and trends that are wider in scope and cover the entire region. Resulting from the presentations and discussion we expect a number of conclusions that will serve to orient future research and dialogue with policy-making agencies both in the US and in the Inter American system.