ABSTRACT
The Trade Representative summarily dismissed the petition’s description of government failure to recognize new unions by quoting the US Embassy as stating that, “Historically, not only the Ministry of Labor, but the entire government of Guatemala has been noted for cumbersome and overly bureaucratic procedures.” Since President Reagan took office, the United States has pursued closer relationships with successive Guatemalan governments, publicly praising military dictatorships and attempting to restore military ties between the two governments. With the election of a civilian government in 1986, both the Reagan Administration and the Congress have sought better relations with the Guatemalan government. The Vinicio Cerezo Government has satisfied its human rights critics in the US government merely by its presence, and, more importantly, it has satisfied the real center of power in Guatemala, the armed forces, by delivering vast amounts of military aid which the military was unable to obtain on its own.
