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Latin American Program in the News: Military Role in Drug War at Stake in Honduras Presidential Vote

Eric L. Olson

Eric Olson comments to Bloomberg on how Honduras' economic situation might be as worse as its security situation.

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As difficult as the security situation is in Honduras, the economy is almost worse, said Eric Olson, the associate director of the Latin American Program at the Wilson Center in Washington.

Slower Growth

The $19 billion economy contracted 2.4 percent in 2009 as Zelaya’s ouster prompted international condemnation. Growth has averaged 3.2 percent per year since, less than the 5.7 percent average in the four years before the coup, according to IMF data. Economic activity rose 0.8 percent in September compared with a year earlier. About 61 percent of the population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank.

“Honduras is borrowing to pay for its bills and often times doesn’t have enough money to pay police, teachers or judges,” Olson said.

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About the Author

Eric L. Olson

Eric L. Olson

Global Fellow;
Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives, Seattle International Foundation
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Latin America Program

The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action.  Read more

Latin America Program

The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action.  Read more