ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to understand both how and why the Central American political elites responded to the integration movement in the manner in which they did. It deals with an examination of the impact of external catalysts on the integration movement and demonstrates that the goals and philosophies of the Central American political leadership are the key factors which determined the course which the integration movement took. The chapter examines the economic theory of regional integration and how the Central American leadership interpreted it as an ideology of the status quo. It analyzes the achievements and failures of the economic integration program demonstrate that, while the program was a failure from the point of view of economic theory, from the domestic political perspective, the program was very successful. The chapter concludes with an analysis of post-1969 events with the intention of illuminating the long-term obstacles to regional integration in Central America.
