ABSTRACT
During the 1960s, Guatemala was the only Central American country to confront an insurgency, but it was one of four that fought a counterinsurgency war during the 1980s. This chapter discusses the interrelationships between the army's counterinsurgency strategies and democratization, regional cooperation, and the peace process since 1982. It assesses the institutional role and the evolution of the Guatemalan armed forces since the 1960s. The Guatemalan militaries of 1944, 1954, 1963, 1982, and 1996 were each slightly different—institutionally, psychologically, politically, and in their vision of Guatemala's future. The domestic, regional, and international environments have changed—often radically. The Guatemalan army will support increased regional cooperation on economic, social, and political matters. The Guatemalan military has been a principal architect of the political liberation, democratization, and regional cooperation strategies of governments since 1982. Between 1982 and 1995, the Guatemalan armed forces were a dominant national institution in the democratization process.
