What Guatemala's new president wants from the US
鈥� A daily summary of global reports on security issues.
听Former Guatemalan Gen. Otto Perez Molina will be inaugurated today as the first military official to lead the country since its return to democracy 26 years ago.
Topping Mr. Perez鈥檚 list of priorities as he takes office is overturning a longstanding ban on US military aid to Guatemala, which he aims to use to contain and deter drug-related violence in the country. Guatemala has听听in the Western hemisphere and is increasingly plagued by high crime and violence linked to drug trafficking in Mexico, reports the Guardian. Many citizens voted for Mr. Perez based on his 鈥渋ron fist鈥� campaign that听promised to crack down on crime.
Yet听 his hopes of overturning the ban worry observers who are critical of his involvement in Guatemala鈥檚 bloody 36-year civil war. Perez garnered international attention during his run for office due to accusations of his involvement in massacres, kidnappings, and other human rights abuses during the civil war, which has strong ties to US military training and funding.
During Guatemala's long civil war, violence primarily targeted rural areas where family members were killed, children kidnapped, and crops destroyed. for a country still struggling with impunity and justice reforms, writes Tim Padgett in an op-ed for Time magazine.
鈥淸T]he fear is that P茅rez, despite all his talk of a听mano dura, or 鈥渋ron fist,鈥� isn鈥檛 the man to bring rule of law to Guatemala, which is one of the world鈥檚 most lawless countries today. Guatemala, along with El Salvador and Honduras, is part of Central America鈥檚 northern triangle 鈥� which U.S. military leaders call听鈥渢he deadliest zone in the world鈥澨齩utside Iraq and Afghanistan. Guatemala鈥檚 murder rate is more than eight times the U.S.鈥檚, largely because violent drug and extortion gangs have overrun the country.
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鈥淏ut equally troubling is the notion among Guatemala鈥檚 political and business elite that the military is the answer. Armies don鈥檛 fight crime, professional police do 鈥� and like Mexico, which has also had to employ its military against drug cartels because it can鈥檛 rely on its cops, Guatemala is paying for centuries of unpardonable neglect of public security.鈥澨�
The US Congress ended military aid to Guatemala in 1990 at the hands of the Guatemalan Army and years of ongoing concern over military-led human rights abuses. The US played an active role in the conflict, to overthrow the democratically elected president, Jacobo Arbenz, who was viewed as a communist threat.听 Fear of the Central American country falling to communism continued as left-wing guerrilla groups began fighting for land reform, battling military forces. Guatemala鈥檚听indigenous populations bore the brunt听of the nearly four decades of violence, largely because they lived in rural communities where leftist groups were believed to seek refuge.
A 1995 US press report revealed that although overt US military aid to Guatemala was halted in the early 1990s, millions of dollars in听听during the next five years, according to the National Security Archive at George Washington University.听听The US has approved limited aid over the years for training Guatemala鈥檚 military response team for natural disasters.
Today, Mexican drug traffickers have taken over regions of Guatemala bordering Mexico, and Perez is says he is seeking military equipment such as helicopters and training to battle the drug trade which is increasingly carving routes through Central America.听
But whether the US will entertain the request is unclear. Some believe the US is taking a 鈥渨ait-and-see鈥� approach, given Perez's military past.听听President Obama took two weeks to congratulate Perez on his election victory last fall, a decision some read as a 鈥渃hilly sign,"听reports the Associated Press.
Guatemala must meet a number of US stipulations in order for US defense funding to resume, such as guaranteeing that the military is 鈥渞especting internationally recognized human rights.鈥� Several former Guatemalan presidents have attempted to get the US to resume defense aid, including outgoing leader Alvaro Colom, who met with the US to outline听听that must be met before the partial resumption of US military aid would be considered, reports Prensa Libre (Spanish).
Greater is among the conditions, reports Insight Crime, an organization that conducts research and analysis on organized crime in Latin America.
鈥淭he condition which might prove the most difficult for Perez's government requires the听release of all military documents related to Guatemala's civil war,鈥� reports Insight. 鈥淭here is little chance that Perez will prove willing to do so, considering his level of support from the military. He has also faced accusations of committing human rights violations during the conflict.鈥� 听
Other steps include renewed support for a听, CICIG, which has not always received full cooperation from the Guatemalan government in the past, as well as reforming the weak justice system.听听A UN-sponsored truth commission following the civil war found that state forces and paramilitary groups were responsible for the majority of the conflict鈥檚 killings. Few of those responsible, however, have been tried and brought to justice, reports the AP.
In December, Perez told the leading Guatemalan newspaper, Prensa Libre, that the issues surrounding US military funding have become exaggerated.听鈥淭his has become more of a myth than anything else.听听We have not relied on the US for weapons these last 30 years, and it seems that in this country many have realized that the Guatemalan Army has changed a lot in every way,鈥� he said.
If the US government does not provide the assistance needed by Guatemala to improve its law enforcement efforts, the Guatemalan government will seek military aid from other countries, a Perez adviser told the AP.听鈥淭his may be a subtle reference to the fact that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is set to attend Perez's swearing in ceremony,鈥� reports Insight.
