The recent political turmoil in Iran appears to have spawned several imitators in recent days, as controversies over the leadership of Niger and Honduras have brought the eyes of the international community away from the streets of Tehran.
Both situations have stemmed from fears that each nation's president was undermining the respective nation's constitution to seek more power. In Honduras, Manuel Zelaya was accused of plotting to throw out the Honduran constitution in order to grant himself a further stay in power, while Niger's Mamadou Tandja sacked the nation's high court when it rejected his appeal to extend his presidency another three years.
In response to Zelaya's attempts to push his presidency 
beyond 2010 after a maximum four-year term, the military, backed by a number of Honduran citizens unhappy with the president, staged a military coup Sunday and forced Zelaya (at right) out of the country.
The Honduran Congress then elected President of the National Congress Roberto Micheletti as the nation's new president, who has since cracked down on protesters backing the ousted president, and has said that Zelaya will be arrested and jailed if he re-enters the country. Honduran citizens are also allowed to be arrested and held without charge for 24 hours, in addition to having their homes searched and being barred from assembling at night after a curfew was implemented Wednesday.
In Niger, Tandja's bid to stay in power was quashed by the nation's highest court, which he subsequently dissolved and followed up by electing a new cabinet, seen as a degenerative move in a nation that has been working to build a more stable government for the past decade.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of these two actions have been the reactions they have received from the international community, the same community that has been uneasy to firmly take a stance on a situation in Iran that bears some semblance to these two governmental crises.
US President Barack Obama acted hastily upon the news of the coup in Honduras Sunday, calling the new government illegitimate and for Zalaya to be reinstated. Wednesday, Obama's press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tandja's actions in Niger undermined the African country's "efforts over the last ten years to advance good governance and the rule of law."
Obama's actions have plenty of backbone. Wednesday, The Organization of American States, comprised of 34 North and Latin American nations, also condemned the coup and demanded Zelaya's reinstatement in 72 hours lest the nation be suspended from its spot within the organization. The UN General Assembly also called for Zelaya's reinstatement, among other things relating to the military overthrow.
The European Union Tuesday warned Tandja (at left) that should he continue his pursuit of illegal actions, he will risk losing aid support from the EU in a nation strife with poverty. The African Union has also sent a team of delegates to Niger to solve the ongoing political crisis.
It is curious how strong a response these two situations have received after the international community has largely tiptoed around the post-election turmoil in Iran. The likely factor behind the strong threats of pulling aid and membership for Niger and Honduras in comparison to a general lack of a tough response to Iran comes down to two probabilities. One, that these two situations are much more obvious and apparent than the speculation, despite some red flags, that Iran's government is illegally in power; and two, the fact that Honduras and Niger hold nearly no political or economical clout in the international community.
Both largely depend on other nations to stay afloat in the grand scheme of things, and haven't really any leverage in any sort of non-domestic situation, especially involving such major players as the European Union and United Nations.
It appears likely that because of this, the larger entities will have their way with things, and both coups will be short-lived - at least politically. However, socially, especially in Honduras where there are varying amounts of support for both the ousted and current government, it looks as though the aftermath of these two political shake-ups could leave lasting impressions on the governments and people of the two nations.
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