Historia política de Centroamérica: una lucha incesante
Historia política de Centroamérica: una lucha incesante Autor: José Alberto Umaña Salguero Los países centroamericanos se caracterizan por ser los que menos extensión territorial poseen en el continente americano, y a su vez, por haber recorrido un pasado colonial común. Belice, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica y Panamá compartieron historia como parte del […]
Human Security as a Measure of Peace Building
Victor Valle prefaces his Central American Diary with an historical summary
The Perfect Storm: Impunity and Violence against Women in Guatemala
The high levels of violence in Central America are often experssed as gender-based violence against women. This article discusses the use of violence against women as a weapon of war, as well as its presistence long into times of “peace”. By adressing the problems of femicide, domestic violence, and other forms of brutality directed at women and girls, we can also address the culture of violence more generally, in Guatemala, and beyond.
The Creation of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala: Miscalculation by a ‘Corporate Mafia State’?
This paper traces the development of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). A UN affiliated hybrid International-National quasi-judicial entity, CICIG was mandated to help investigate and prosecute organized crime groups in Guatemala and was heralded as an important step forward in the fight against impunity. This paper explores the often heard narrative that human rights groups successfully convinced first the Portillo administration and then the Berger government to agree to support CICIG, and analyzes alternative rationales. The paper suggests that the Portillo government sought to derive short term benefits from supporting the agreement but may have miscalculated in its assessment of long term risks. The Berger administration clearly derived benefits from the agreement, including the reinstatement of certain US military aid, as did the Colom administration. The paper also suggests that despite its mandate to strengthen national investigations and the judiciary system, some of CICIG’s greatest successes were achieved through public actions and the eventual resignation of the founding Commissioner Castresana. The paper concludes that even though CICIG’s institutional reform efforts have been piecemeal, they are significant nonetheless.
Inclusive Transitional Justice through Truth Commissions: A Book Review
Title: Getting the Truth out of Truth Commissions: Lessons Learned from Five Case Studies
Author(s): Johannes Langer (editor), Miguel Barreto Henriques, Pedro Valenzuela
Publisher: Editorial Bonaventuriana, 2018