Poverty and crime are common in Guatemala; it has one of the worst crime rates in Latin America. Forty-three percent of children under the age of five are chronically malnourished and the murder rate last year was forty-two per a hundred thousand people—one of the highest in the world. Presidential elections in Guatemala ended on Sunday, November sixth of this year. The elections were base on the voters’ concerns for security. After suffering through more than a few decades of military dictatorship and civil war, this country of about thirteen million people craved for a leader who would provide them with safety. They wanted a leader who would get them off the list of being one of the countries with the highest murder rates in Latin …show more content…
Being the first military man to be taken into consideration for governing since the peace accords were established in 1996, Molina would not normally be the favorite at the voting polls. However, his military background did not appear to be a problem during his campaign. Liberal voters voiced their uneasiness over the vision of a “tough-talking military man” in charge. Nevertheless, others saw Molina’s military experience as an advantage during a violence crisis. “We want the mano dura,” said Olga Alicia Argueta, leader of the vendors association at a crowded market in Guatemala. “A soldier brings his methods to take hard actions, and that’s what our country needs.” The vendors, like many other Guatemalans elsewhere, sound almost as a single voice when asked what their top concerns were on the day before the election. Their answer: security, security, and security.
Molina’s campaign against crime boosted his popularity as the Prensa Libre announced that the killings in Guatemala City run about twelve a day only. Riding the bus in the main city can be a dangerous exercise and gun-wielding thieves frequently step on board to rob, and often shoot, drivers and passengers. Whilst in the northern countryside, the coming of Mexico’s most vicious gang—the Zetas—have added a petrifying new aspect to Guatemala’s old drug underworld. Molina accused President Alvaro Colom—the man who defeated him in the
The Mayan people’s struggle for equality led to tensions with the government of Guatemala. Since Mayans are the indigenous people of the country, they felt they should have the same opportunities and recognition as other ethnic groups in the region (Genocide). However, “when Spanish explorers conquered this region in the 16th century, the Mayans became slaves in their own homeland” (ibid). The Mayans were no longer able to exercise their rights, and lost their identity in their homeland. As a result, in the 1970s, the Mayans decided to take matters into their own hands and rebel against the Guatemalan government (GUATEMALA 1982). Years of pent up aggression were finally being expressed, but the government
In, “Testimony: Death of a Guatemalan Village,” Victor Montejo describes events surrounding the military régimes occurring throughout Guatemala. The book itself is an eyewitness account detailing one instance of violence between the indigenous peoples village's "civil patrol" and the army. This occurrence leads to the execution and imprisonment of many villagers. Even though the book is mainly a testimony by one person, in which he discusses the personal conflicts and struggle between himself and the army, the account is structured around the Guatemalan civil war and the conflict between the government and civilians. The Guatemalan Civil War occurred between the years 1960 to 1996. It was a battle between the government of Guatemala and
There was much speculation regarding the potential outcome of the election especially regarding the possible social upheavals that could have resulted in yet another Civil War. The National Vote Counting Center was not announcing results until every electoral ballot had been counted, but quick counts conducted by both sides of the opposition as well as by the representatives of the monitoring international organizations hinted at the possible victory of UNO. As a result the concern had shifted as to how to ensure a smooth transition while preventing any possible social upheavals. Daniel Ortega expressed his concern to Carter in meeting that took place the night the polls were closed: “I wanted to talk to you about what could be an eventual triumph of UNO, and take steps to ensure that if this occurred, it would not produce a bad outcome. There is a section within UNO who would be so encouraged by a UNO victory that they might want to provoke acts of violence against the FSLN…. There could be a civil war. The conduct of the U.S. government would be decisive (Pastor, 261).” Due to the cooperation of the opposition party’s especially in calming and controlling their supporters, the announcement of the UNO victory did not result in any social repercussions and hence helped Nicaragua serve as an exemplary model to the international community proving that peaceful transition is in fact possible. Despite Barrios’s success in the election her tenure
The Guatemalan Revolution was on October 1944 and it forced the resignation of Jorge Ubico. He was the President of Guatemala in the previous thirteen years. Ubico's government was a fear period in the country and it was called the “peace on the cemeteries”
The author of this book is Juan Jose Arevalo and he was a professor of philosophy who became Guatemala’s first democratically elected president in 1944. He was elected after a popular uprising against the United States, backed by Dictator Jorge Ubico, which began the Guatemalan Revolution. He stayed in office until 1951 and had survived 15 coup attempts. During his presidency he had passed several social reform policies that included an increase in minimum wage and a series of literacy programs. He also directed and ministered the drafting of a new constitution in 1945. Arevalo focused much on the need of advancement with individuals and communities. After he was exiled as being a university professor he went back to Guatemala to help the new post-Ubico government, focusing on the areas of social security and drafting of a new constitution. He developed the term “spiritual socialism”, in which he defined his political philosophy as. The philosophy was pointed towards the moral development of Guatemalans with the intent to liberate man psychologically. Arevalo strongly believed that this theoretical doctrine was vital to the making of a progressive and peaceful Guatemalan society. He felt in order to create an ideal society it was necessary to allow the citizens the freedom to pursue their own opinions, property, and way of life. He proclaimed that protecting the freewill of the citizens creates more support for governmental institutions, which in turn ensures the security of
United States’ system has its foundation on an agreement between the people and the government to ensure that individual liberties continue to prosper under a free society. The Declaration of Independence lists three important rights that the Founding Fathers considered natural and unalienable. They are the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Government exists to protect these rights. On other hand, the purpose of Guatemala’s government, according to the Guatemala’s Constitution, is to promote the common welfare, the consolidation of the regime of legality, security, equality, justice, liberty and peace. Both countries have its foundation on democracy; nevertheless, there are specific characteristics that mark a difference between them.
It is now obvious that countries in Central America have been plagued by civil war, economic crisis, election fraud to finally transition into a political system granting the population the freedom to elect their leaders. El Salvador is no different than Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras. One might notice that such issues arise due to political unrest in the region (Central America), thus creating a pattern of social, political and economic instability.
In 1964, Guatemala was being run by a military junta, violence was a part of every day life, the economy was in shambles, and jobs were scare (Cuevas, 2011). It was in this setting that a young man, my future father-in-law, took a chance at a better life for he and his family. Enticed by rumors of prosperity in the United States, Alex and his brother Rene saved their money to journey to Chicago, leaving their families behind in a search for hope that was borne of desperation. Alex left his wife Ruth with 20 Guatemalan Quetzal, the equivalent of $20 dollars, and their three children, Vivien, 5, Ingrid, 3, and Marvin, a newborn baby. What experience lay in store for he and his family? How would they fare in an unknown country, without
During the 1970’s more and more protests and uprisings in the capital and the southwest part of the nation became very frequent, and overtime, very violent. The Peace Pledge Union expressed a dramatic and detailed example of the violent acts that the military of Guatemala practiced on Indian natives in search of subversives,
Guatemala is a beautiful country that is known for its many Mayan cites, rich culture and its wide rainforest. The country has volcanos, delicious foods and a wonderful atmosphere that make for a rich tourist attraction. But the country has a history that isn’t as wonderful as I have made it sound. This country has endured a very tragic Civil War that started in 1960 and ended in 1996. This 36 year war was devastating to this country because of the many deaths that had happened and because of all of the tragic moments that happened within the span of the war. The Guatemalan Civil War was one of the many acts of genocide that have happened all around the world but even though there were many tragedies this country has developed past it and become the beautiful
El Salvador is a country known for its beautiful beaches, mountainous landscape, and coffee export. Unfortunately, this perfect picture is only a wall that hides the true violence that occurs in the country. El Salvador’s violence is an ongoing cycle, so how does today’s violence differ and compare from the violence in the 1980’s? The differences and similarities of violence in El Salvador from now and then involve root cause, political involvement, and economic issues.
The third reason to consider street gangs as terrorist organizations is because gangs minimize the quality of life of any country. Two important characteristics define quality of life: psychical and psychological. An example of diminishing of these aspects is the country of Guatemala. For the past 10 years, street gangs in Guatemala have been on the rise. According to Power Blogger, the street gangs have power of corruption over the police forces and the government, paying them large amounts of money to be permitted to do whatever they want. The blog also states that this type of political corruption is what keeps Guatemala moving on economically. Some people believe there are corrupted police members who ask them for money instead of putting them in jail. The reality is that if no one can stop the corruption, they might end up governing the country soon. For example in Guatemala schools, little kids learn how to cheat, they don’t want to study anymore, and they prefer to cheat copying their tests or paying someone to do so. The Ministry of Governance estimates that there are currently 175,000 street gang members
(intro)the 2009- 2010 leaders and supporters of the FNL, The Front of Struggle, were killed by drug hitmen. Ovidio ortiz, a life long leader of the heath union, was a target for the massacre. He was hit with eight bullets. Six days after the health worker massacre on march 30th a passing vehicle shot at residents who gathered at the neighborhood store, only 8 were injured. (history of death squads) The guatemalan army slaughtered politics and suspected
In addition to gaining and keeping control is through fear and chaos. a recent uncovered discovery is how gangs also interfere with local governments trying to gain power. The survey shows that it has not gone unnoticed by Salvadorans, who tend to blame their government for not getting the peace and order to the people. The Police Chief Howard Cotto of El salvador has known gangs are continuing efforts to interfere with local politics ahead of the country's upcoming elections that is happening in March of next year. Cotto explained that gangs offer help secure votes for a running candidates to help bring down levels of insecurity in exchange for benefits such as weapons, protection, and providing jobs for the gangs for leverage.
Crime, death, and destruction in Latin America is a big issue that’s spreading around the whole world. It’s becoming a worldwide problem and it needs to be fixed. Trafficking drugs to other countries and what not, are the main cause of crime, death and destruction of property in Latin America. “According to police data, these countries collectively saw 17,422 murders in 2015, 11% more than in 2014. However, there are signs the security challenges are changing, both in Northern Triangle and across Central America as a whole.” This shows that murders are occurring more often than they should. El Salvador is increased in murders between 2014-15 and its one of the highest in the world. The