
The Challenges Facing Guatemala’s Next President
Even after a wild election winds down, the country’s biggest challenges won’t.
Even after a wild election winds down, the country’s biggest challenges won’t.
After a crowded first round election, the candidates in August’s runoff vote have been decided.
A get-out-of-jail-free card for war criminals would be a blow to Guatemala’s anti-impunity movement.
President Jimmy Morales’ maneuvering against Guatemala’s institutions could give the U.S. a chance to recalibrate its policy.
Sometimes governments act to stop piracy. Sometimes they don’t. Here are two stories that show very different outcomes.
Washington is giving President Morales a pass on his efforts to evade justice, writes the first Guatemalan elected to the U.S. Congress.
Thelma Aldana made her mark in Guatemala’s fight against corruption. Is she ready for politics?
Twenty-six years since the end of civil war, El Salvador – and its neighbors – are making fragile progress on violence.
This article has been updated. It took more than 20,000 protesters marching in the streets of Guatemala City to force then-President Otto Pérez Molina to resign and face corruption charges in 2015. Two years later, Pérez Molina is gone – but the thousands of anti-corruption protesters are back, and they’re taking aim at the new president, Jimmy … Read more
Over the past 18 years, Rosalita García has nursed all 10 of her children back to health after bouts of malnutrition. But her three-year-old son’s recent hospital visit in Chiquimula, Guatemala has the 37-year-old mother more worried than usual. “I was able to feed my kids better before because it rained,” García told AQ. “But … Read more
Many deaths are unavoidable. Natural disasters and incurable illnesses can claim lives suddenly, without warning. But there is one untimely death that can be avoided – homicide. It is time for Latin America and the Caribbean to set a bold goal to bring down the murder rate. The region is one of the world’s deadliest. It is home … Read more
One year ago, Americas Quarterly’s 2013 Social Inclusion Index gave Guatemala the lowest total score of all countries evaluated, with a total of 14.8 points out of a possible 100. The index ranked 16 countries, including the United States and 15 countries from Latin America. The comments in the evaluation for Guatemala indicated that “Poverty … Read more
When the 43rd General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) released its final resolution on June 7, those waiting for a brave new direction on the war of drugs were likely disappointed. For all the rhetoric of breaking taboos, decriminalization—at least of marijuana—proved to be a step too far for some participants. The writing … Read more
A handful of Mayan-Q’eqchi’ men and women met with lawyers late last year in Ontario to review the details of three lawsuits filed in local courts against the Canadian mining company HudBay Minerals. They had traveled to Canada to pursue legal recourse for their claim that security personnel at the company’s Fenix Mining Project in … Read more
On October 4, 2012, Guatemalan soldiers opened fire on a crowd of several hundred unarmed peasants from the western highland department of Totonicapán, killing six and wounding 34 others. Joined by teachers, students and local indigenous authorities, the peasants had set up roadblocks along the Pan-American Highway to protest the hike in electricity prices, education … Read more