Booker T. Washington High School
Model United Nations Club
Country Briefing: Guatemala
Guatemala is another very poor Central American country, distinguished for having one of the largest proportions of Indians in the population, 44% of the total being of pure Indian blood. It has a population of twelve million and a per capita GNP of $1680, making it a very poor country. 43% of the population is below the age of 15, and much of the population falls below the poverty line. On average, Guatemalans receive less education than any other people in Latin America and the Caribbean.
History: this place was a long a center of Mayan civilization. Spanish colonists arrived in the 16th century and put the encomienda system in place. Conquistadors were given land to form plantations, along with numbers of Indians to work the land. A system of racial superiority and inequitable land distribution has prevailed ever since. Independence came to the region in 1821, and government fell to a republic controlled by the landowning class. Over time, a state apparatus was created in which the army and the courts worked to keep control over a large, mostly illiterate peasant population. American influence grew in the early twentieth century as American corporations opened up large agribusinesses in Guatemala, and linked the local economy up to the regional economy. In the “Roosevelt Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine, the US pledged to intervene in Central America to protect US interests and keep out foreign influence. After WWII, Cold War concerns came to dominate US policy, as Washington supported governments in the region for their strong anti-communist credentials. This set US policy at odds with one of the major issues in Guatemalan politics, land reform. In 1954, the Guatemalans elected a leader who promised to break up the big estates and distribute them to poor farmers. Fearing this radicalism would lead to a communist regime friendly to the USSR, the CIA backed a military coup against this government. The measure succeeded, restoring conservative rule. Since then, the government has leaned on the military to suppress peasant and Indian revolts in the rough interior of the country. Political repression, kidnapping of citizens and foreigners, and paramilitary death squads became commonplace. In the 1990s, a gradual easing of political tensions began, temporarily interrupted by a flare-up of hostilities in 1994. Partly this was due to economic growth, partly due to new initiatives by the United States and the Roman Catholic Church, and partly due to a new feeling among Guatemalans that the time had come for reconciliation. Many issues remain – Guatemala is still desperately poor, and the current recession has hurt. Guatemala still depends on agricultural cash crops, making it vulnerable to the downturn in coffee and banana prices.
Diplomatic Agenda: Guatemala is faced with chronic problems demanding international attention, in security and economic matters. It desperately needs to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to diversify its economy and avoid excessive reliance on exports of sugar, coffee and bananas. Labor costs are low, so there is room to develop labor-intensive industry such as textiles. However, US companies are fearful to set up plant in Guatemala for fear of political instability, and of being associated with Guatemala’s human rights record. Another need is for credits from international financial institutions such as the IMF. Attracting foreign loans might require cuts in government expenditures, which could lead to unrest in the capital of Tegucigalpa. On the security front, Guatemala counts on the US to look the other way when it cracks down on potentially radical movements among peasants and Indians. The military and the secret police are still very important in this country, where popular support for the government is low. US security assistance is small, but Guatemala could receive more if it were able to tie its security needs to the war on terrorism. Indeed, it is plausible that local anti-government groups might turn to radical international organizations for arms, training and logistical support. This argument might qualify Gutaemala for US combat advisers, helicopters and other support. In economics, one of the most pressing issues is child malnutrition, which currently stands at 24%. Guatemala qualifies for food aid from foreign governments and organizations, but more is always needed. On the humanitarian front, Guatemala’s record is abysmal. It would like to make improvements in order to attract more business and tourism, but not at the cost of political control in the countryside. Finally, on the environmental front, Guatemala suffers from increasing deforestation as farmers clear new land to support a growing population. This puts more and more pressure on wildlife and local ecosystems. In short, Guatemala is faced by a depressing array of complex and connected problems. If necessary, it can always fall back on the argument that true respect for human rights cannot occur until something is done about the crippling poverty in the land. This is a problem that requires international support, as it is simply beyond the capacity of the government in the current international economic environment.