Failure to Decry Coup Attempt Puts the U.S. in an Awkward Spot

The Bush administration scrambled Monday to explain why it failed to denounce the coup that briefly swept Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez from office last week, an attempt that Latin American leaders decried as an attack on a democratically elected leader.

While others in the region were urging Chavez’s restoration to power, the White House initially blamed the coup attempt on the president’s own actions. Only on Sunday, when Chavez was poised to regain his authority, did the United States join other members of the Organization of American States in a vaguely worded resolution that condemned the “alteration of constitutional order in Venezuela.”

A populist strongman with Marxist leanings, Chavez has alienated most of the primary institutions in his country and has few allies in the Western Hemisphere. But he was legitimately elected, and some Latin American diplomats and other experts said the United States--which has led international efforts to deter the overthrow of democratic governments--could be hurt by its failure to condemn the abortive coup.

One Latin American diplomat in Washington said the U.S. reaction “has been noted” and could upset leaders in countries that might be threatened by coups.

Michael Coppedge, a Latin America specialist at Notre Dame University, said the differences in the U.S. and Latin American reactions to the attempted coup had left the United States isolated and in a “very difficult position.” Some people in the hemisphere may view the United States as hypocritical, he said.

The U.S. was a principal advocate of the Inter-American Democratic Charter adopted in September, which calls for sanctions against governments that take power by unlawful force. Federal law requires the U.S. to impose sanctions on such governments.

After months of unrest, it appeared Friday that a group of business and military leaders had ousted Chavez. But by Sunday, after troop mutinies and street fighting, he had been reinstated as the head of Venezuela’s government.

State Department spokesman Philip T. Reeker said U.S. officials had limited their comments Friday because it was unclear what had happened in Venezuela and who was in charge. “I think it’s a matter of knowing what the facts are, seeing how things develop and exactly what is going on there,” he said.

Reeker said the United States was trying to work with other countries in the hemisphere on the crisis and looked forward to seeing the results of an OAS mission to Venezuela that will seek to explain the events of the last week.

U.S. officials continued to refrain from welcoming the return of Chavez, and they made it clear that they believed the Chavez government needs to launch a number of reforms to be considered fully democratic.

U.S. officials said they were unhappy that the Chavez government had sought to control the news media, to limit independent political activities and to impose political changes unilaterally.

Washington has also made known its unhappiness with Chavez’s government on a number of other issues. Venezuela allegedly supports Colombian rebel groups that the U.S. considers terrorists and drug traffickers and has sought closer ties to Iraq, Libya and Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Chavez has also sought to limit his country’s oil production in a way that would increase prices in the United States. Venezuela is one of the top suppliers of oil to the U.S.

U.S. officials also argue that it remains unclear who will end up in charge as the unrest continues.

“Venezuela remains a somewhat fluid situation still,” said Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary.

Experts said it was not clear that the Chavez regime could punish the United States for its lack of support. Venezuela needs to sell oil, and it would be disruptive for it to find other customers. Oil is the government’s most important export.

The U.S. was not alone in its awkward posture on Chavez. In Britain, Dennis McShane, the foreign office minister responsible for Latin America, Saturday described Chavez as a “ranting, populist demagogue” and compared him to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.

On Sunday, McShane took a more subdued approach. “Last week’s coup has failed. Any change of government in Venezuela, as elsewhere in Latin America and the world, should come about by democratic means,” he said in a statement.