Smart Governance Practices on the Rise in Central America
The latest developments in information and communication technology (ICT) are no longer the rage among just tech-savvy enthusiasts. Municipalities across the hemisphere are also starting to pay attention. In Central America, mayors, municipal councilors and their advisors are embracing ICTs such as websites, social media platforms, mobile text messaging, and video cameras as useful tools … Read more
Justice in Guatemala
Guatemala’s judicial system is on the upswing. In 2011, the Public Ministry made notable strides in the fight against organized crime and political corruption through the leadership of Claudia Paz y Paz—a new and competent attorney general who took over in December 2010—and the continued support of the United Nations sponsored Commission against Impunity in … Read more
The Road to Victory for Otto Pérez Molina, Guatemala’s President-Elect
With all votes counted within a couple of hours of polls closing on Sunday, November 6, retired general Otto Pérez Molina was confirmed the new president of Guatemala, beating rival Manuel Baldizón by 53.74 percent to 46.26 percent. This year’s election was the second-largest presidential runoff turnout in Guatemala’s history. By the end of the … Read more
Guatemalan Women Enter the Political Limelight Ahead of Sunday’s Elections
Guatemalans go to the polls on Sunday, September 11, to vote for their president, congressional representatives and mayors. The elections and campaigns in the lead-up are undoubtedly historic moments for Guatemala as they constitute a series of firsts. With nearly 49 percent of the vote in a recent poll, Otto Pérez Molina of the Partido … Read more
Entrevista Exclusiva: Una Alcadesa Guatemalteca Enfocada en el Analfabetismo y el Papel de las Mujeres
Photo courtesy of Robert Stromberg. Janeth Ordóñez fue elegida alcadesa del municipio de San Cristóbal de Acasaguastlán, Guatemala en 2008. Actualmente Ordóñez desarrolla su campaña política para ser reelegida durante las elecciones del próximo 11 de septiembre. La alcaldesa Ordóñez comparte con AQ Online su experiencia como una mujer alcalde, así … Read more
Eternal Spring, Eternal Tyranny: A Photographic Essay
“En 1800, un visitante europeo llamó a Guatemala Tierra de la Eterna Primavera. Un siglo después, el político y ensayista guatemalteco Manuel Galich llamó a su país Tierra de la Eterna Tiranía. Para pocos, Guatemala es un paraíso. Para muchos, es todo lo contrario.” For the few, Guatemala is a paradise. For the many, it … Read more
Danger in Guatemala
The battle to regain control of Guatemala’s institutions from deeply entrenched criminal interests has reached an alarming new juncture. Two weeks ago, the head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), a UN-led commission to investigate and prosecute high-profile organized crime and corruption, resigned in frustration. Since January 2008, the CICIG has made … Read more
CAFTA-DR Pact:Opening up new frontiers
As President George W. Bush pressures Congress to ratify the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, it is worth examining the results to date of the Dominican Republic-Central America-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). That agreement, involving the United States, five Central American countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua) and the Dominican Republic has taken … Read more
Central America’s Youth Leaders
Dispatches: Tracking Cancer in the Guatemalan Highlands
A dusty, pocked ribbon of road winds up and down through the rugged mountains of Alta Verapaz, an extremely remote, mostly indigenous area of
Growing Public Insecurity in Central America
Crime has replaced soccer as the hot conversation topic among business leaders, journalists, construction workers, and secretaries in Central America’s Northern Triangle—El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. Although the problems of delinquency, particularly maras (youth gangs) and organized criminal networks, are not new to the region, public skepticism—bordering on contempt—for all three governments’ inability to deal … Read more
