ABSTRACT
Located in the northern part of South America, Guyana is culturally, historically, and ethnically linked with the English-speaking islands of the Caribbean. The Guyana Defense Force constitutes the Guyanese military. The United States Department of State in its Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1982, pointed out that in Guyana the state security forces seemed to have become “the private protectors of the ruling party.” Cognizant of Guyana’s explosive ethnic divisions, the East Indian dominated People’s Progressive Party is seriously entertaining the possibility of a multi-ethnic coalition with considerable black representation. One might compare Guyana with Daniel Zirker’s case study of the structural barriers to military intervention built in Tanzania since the 1964 army mutiny. Scrutiny of ideological and other contacts between the Guyanese and Tanzanian experiences would be necessary to fully understand the reasons that account for those similarities.
