Images of military vehicles with machine guns rolling through the streets of Tegucigalpa, have sparked ugly memories of darker times for democracy in Latin America.

What happened and why?

In the predawn hours of June 28, hundreds of armed and hooded soldiers broke into the presidential palace and seized Zelaya from the bed. They forced the president aboard a plane and sent him to Costa Rica. Zelaya called the action a kidnapping, and says he is still president.

Zelaya, a leftist who took office in 2006 in a narrow victory, was at odds with Honduran lawmakers, the supreme court, the military and the majority of Hondurans (in various polls) over a referendum he proposed that would have led to overturning the constitution’s ban on re-election, allowing Zelaya to potentially stay in power past January, when his term was scheduled to end. Despite the opposition, Zelaya pledged to press ahead with his plans. He was ousted before he could do so. Roberto Micheletti was sworn in as interim president.

The world reacts

The global community has unanimously condemned the situation, calling it a coup and urging the nation to reinstate constitutional order. The 27-nation European Union even recalled all its ambassadors to Honduras in protest. Saying he was “deeply concerned,” Obama called on Honduras politicos to “respect democratic norms.”

The UN General Assembly is demanding the reinstatement of Zelaya while the Organization of American States suspended Honduras from its ranks for refusing to do so.

The Organization of American States (OAS) is a collection of 34 nations that gathers periodically to discuss the major issues facing the region and the world. Goals of the OAS include the promotion of human rights and an engagement with issues like poverty, terrorism, illegal drugs and corruption, according to its Web site.

What now?

The two men claiming the Honduran presidency met for the first time in Costa Rica on Thursday to begin talks aimed at resolving the political standoff that has divided their country.

The discussions are being mediated by President Óscar Arias of Costa Rica, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, but as the two rivals finally came together it became came clear how far they were from an agreement.

Mr. Zelaya said he had not come to negotiate, but to set the terms of his return. Mr. Micheletti in turn said he was confident that Mr. Arias would find a solution that “fit within the frame of the Constitution.”

The de facto Honduran government has repeatedly warned that Mr. Zelaya would be arrested upon his return to the country and refused to let his plane land when he tried to come back on Sunday, setting off angry protests.

Why is this news?

Latin America has a long history of military dictatorships, and although fair elections are now the norm, many of the countries appear to be unraveling politically. Just over the past year:

• Citizens took to streets in Nicaragua demanding a recount after municipal elections they say were rigged.
• In Guatemala, protesters called for their president to step down after hew as accused of orchestrating a murder. There, as in other countries in the region, organized crime is taking over wide swaths of territory and corrupting institutions.
• In Mexico, drug traffickers are so brazen they are openly recruiting new members in banners hung up in cities.