06 Oct Nicaragua, Honduras Prepare to Kiss and Make Up (with the Help of the ICJ)
Now this is a heartwarming picture depicting the presidents of Honduras and Nicaragua in a friendly embrace, a far cry from the tense days of the Contra Wars in the 1980s, which involved Honduran and U.S. support for Nicaraguan rebels.
Indeed, things have gotten so friendly that both Presidents have pledged to meet at the site of the disputed border area to jointly celebrate the results of a long-awaited ICJ judgment on that border area.
“That day, after the verdict, we will meet on the border to show to the world that the most important thing is the goal of the Central American unity,” the Honduran Head of State assured in front of the representatives of the 11 international courts.
The judgment (resolving a dispute initiated by Nicaragua back in 1999) will be issued on Monday, October 8, at 3:00 p.m. (GMT +1). Obviously, they can’t both win (or maybe they can?). But whatever the result, both sides have clearly bought in to abiding by the result, which is good news for the ICJ and for Central American relations more generally.
Gee. Just think…if John Yoo, Alberto Gonzales, et. al. had worked for the Reagan and Bush I administrations, we might have completely blown off the ICJ judgment and still be fomenting war within and between these two countries. For that matter, that whole issue with “illegal” arms sales would have been mooted by OLC legal opinions invoking the alleged plenary powers of Art. II…and nobody would have been prosecuted. Oh…the possibilities this world has missed….
Of course, now the ICJ’s Judgment is out. (The AP article can be found here. The Court’s judgment can be found here.)
Having worked on this case I will refrain from commenting further on the Court’s judgment at this moment (other than to say, of course, that I hope it resolves the parties’ dispute peacefully), but would welcome others’ thoughts.