Abstract

Waging War to Prevent War

It is informed that the U.S. military aid to Guatemala, one of the worst human rights offenders in the hemisphere, has passed through several stages since 1986, when a civilian president, Vinicio Cerezo, took office. At first, the aid was supposed to create space for democracy; next, it was to forestall a military coup. Now, with the administration of U.S. President George Bush readying a request for dollar 9 million in new military aid, the argument has taken a new twist: the money is designed to shore up not only Cerezo but his Defense Minister, General Hector Alejandro Gramajo, against a threat from more hard-line officers. The basic principle of providing U.S. military aid to Guatemala is no longer contested, even by liberals in Congress.