ABSTRACT
The conflicts shaking the Central American region have roots that go back to the middle of the last century—to a dispute between England and a new imperial power, the United States. The long chain of North American interventions in the area was mainly determined by the strategic military concepts that different North American administrations have had about Central America. Since 1823, when President James Monroe proclaimed his doctrine of America for Americans, the United States had geopolitical interests in the Caribbean, which the English called the Mare Nostrum. The majority of specialists in the area claim that the Central American crisis is structural in character. Similar characteristics of Central American countries in their link to the international market through agricultural exports make this a fundamental focus for such economies. The levels of poverty, margination, and political repression that the people of Central America have been subject to are the product of dictatorial regimes imposed by North American governments.
