The Guatemalan Army and U.S. Policy in Central America

Abstract

The recent election in Guatemala of civilian president Vinicio Cerezo Arevalo, an independent-minded Christian Democrat who is critical of U.S. policy in Nicaragua, has given new life to the seriously flagging efforts of the so-called Contadora group (Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, and Colombia) to draft a peace plan for Central America. Yet no one doubts that Cerezo would not be in power if his presidency were not totally acceptable to the Guatemalan military. Indeed, according to all accounts, the military has never been more secure. But, as Mario Payeras a Guatemalan revolutionary argues, a strong army may make Guatemala an unreliable ally in President Reagan's plans to isolate Nicaragua in Central America.

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