Obama, the United Nations, and the Organization of American States stand behind ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya because he was democratically elected. However, the situation in Honduras is far from black and white.

“I think it would be a terrible precedent if we start moving backwards into the era of where we are seeing military coups as means of political transition,” Obama has said.

However, whether or not this switch should be seen as a “military coup” remains uncertain, and who the real “democrat” is remains equally murky.

The Honduran military acted on orders from the Supreme Court, though it removed Zelaya from the country at gunpoint. Roberto Micheletti, the interim President, was next in line to assume the role of President and is a member of the Liberal party, like Zelaya.

Micheletti maintains that the transition was legal and that democratic elections will be held as scheduled in November. He has also promised to arrest Zelaya if he returns to Honduras.

Obama said shortly after the transition occurred, “We believe that the coup was not legal.” But according to the interim government, the Honduran Supreme Court did vote to remove Zelaya because he wanted to amend the constitution to extend his term.

Zelaya planned to go ahead with a referendum, declared illegal by the Honduran Supreme Court, on a revision to Honduras’ constitution that many believe would have allowed Zelaya to extend his term, which ends January 27. He led a violent mob to seize ballots for the vote from a military base, according to the Wall Street Journal.

But Zelaya cabinet member Armando Sarmiento, said, “The right wing believes the myth that President Zelaya was going to seek an extra term. But this was not true,” according to the American Journal Constitution.

This is the crux of the issue: though Zelaya was a democratically elected president, his this referendum indicate socialist intentions, more in line with Chávez than Obama. On the other hand, Michelletti promises democratic elections this fall.

Some speculate that the image of a pajama-clad Zelaya being taken from his bedroom at gunpoint influenced the world’s reaction.

Obama’s support for Zelaya is a strong statement, as the leader is closely allied with Venezuelan Preisdent Hugo Chávez and is part of a larger group of anti-American leaders.

Obama has been working on U.S.-Latin American relations, having promised to work with Latin American countries as their equal rather than their superior at the hemispheric summit in April. This could play into Obama’s early support for Zelaya, which would bodewell for U.S.-Honduran relations if Zelaya is returned to power.

Obama did not meet with Zelaya at the White House while he was in Washington this past weekend, according to The Washington Post.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sees eye to eye with Obama. He said Monday that Brazil will not recognize the Honduran government until Zelaya is reinstated “because he was directly elected by the vote, complying with the rules of democracy.”

Saturday was the deadline the OAS set for the Honduran government to reinstate Zelaya or face suspension from the organization, and the group followed through with their threat.

“This is a dramatic move by the OAS. It underscores its commitment to democracy,” a senior U.S. official involved in last week’s OAS meetings in Washington told The Washington Post.

The U.S. has pushed unsuccessfully in the past for the use of the OAS-established Inter-American Democratic Charter. The case with Honduras is the first time that the charter has been used to suspend a country for disrupting democracy.

The White House told Zelaya, who has historically had an abrasive relationship with the Honduran military, Supreme Court, and Congress, that he should not try to return his country before a resolution had been reached.

Honduras’ highest-ranked Roman Catholic Church official, Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez, also encouraged Zelaya to stay out of the country to prevent an outbreak of severe violence.

“We think that a return to the country at this time could unleash a bloodbath in the country,” he said on national television, according to the Wall Street Journal.

But Zelaya attempted to return to Honduras this past Sunday, but the Honduran military obstructed landing strips at the airport.

“This is a barbarity what is happening in Honduras,” said Zelaya, who asked that Obama to be more aggressive in standing up to the interim president. This was after Zelaya was informed of the violence between his supporters and the military at the airport on Sunday, according to the Wall Street Journal.

A testament to Obama’s support of Zelaya, the ousted president’s wife and son stayed with the American ambassador in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, when Zelaya was removed.

Zelaya is expected to return to Washington for more talks with the O.A.S.

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