Catherine Cheweza reflects on her experiences as a woman from Malawi travelling to Costa Rica.

A Load of Old Cobblestones Author: Simon Stander Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 04/05/2006 Category: Editorial The University of Peace is based in Costa Rica where businesses, government, police and unions are positioning themselves in the event of street demonstrations. Costa Rica is going to enter CAFTA.

In the early 1990s, peace negotiations in El Salvador's civil war were made possible by a military stalemate. Now, a decade later, a political stalemate might make real negotiations possible yet again. A look at El Salvador's past, with a view to its future.

Sympathy and pity come naturally. But truly understanding a person or group of people may require you to put yourself in their shoes, and that requires empathy. A careful process of teaching and field trips can lead students toward this frame of mind, and a greater understanding of the people

Key words: youth violence – gangs – maras – anti-maras law – plan Mano Dura – sustainable peacebuilding – La Cordinadora

It is clear that what happened in Honduras last week was not a straightforward military coup; Mr Zelaya is not just against the military, but also the congress (minus some minority representatives) and the rest of the “ruling class”, who control business and media, and to which he and his

The Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement is near completion. It has been ratified by all parties except for Costa Rica, who most analysts agree is likely to sign the agreement sooner or later. Meanwhile, a ferocious debate has sprung up of the future affects of this agreement, and both

Maria Suarez Toro reports from Honduras, where feminist organizations continue to oppose the coup, and stand up to the pressure of elite business interests.

In light of the excesses, corruption, "emptiness" and elitism of certain "exemplary" Latin American democracies in the 20th Century, Tara Ruttenberg reflects on the emergence of leftist, populist, participatory democracies in the region, celebrates their successes, and warns against the possibility of backsliding into authoritarianism.