In Honduras, Major Changes Are Unlikely to Follow Elections

Despite intense rhetoric in the presidential campaign, a major change in Honduran foreign policy is unlikely, regardless of who wins. The race, which will be decided Nov. 24, has narrowed into a contest between Juan Orlando Hernandez of the conservative ruling National Party and Xiomara Castro of the leftist coalition Liberty and Refoundation (known as Libre). If elected, Castro, who is married to former President Manuel Zelaya, has promised to move the country to the political left. However, the next president's political options will be limited by the country's extreme levels of criminal violence and depleted public finances.