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An Interpretation of the Central American Crisis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 October 2022

John Weeks
John Weeks*
Affiliation:
The American University
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For the last ten years, Central America has been in upheaval, experiencing fundamental social and political change, with the Nicaraguan revolution representing the most dramatic rupture with the past. This revolution, the civil war in El Salvador, two recent coups in Guatemala, and the militarization of Honduras by the United States are all aspects of the crisis currently transforming the region. This article will argue that these dramatic events comprise a general disintegration of what might be called the “old order” in Central America. While the particular characteristics of each country must be taken into account, a process of creative destruction can be identified that is best understood at the level of the region as a whole.

Type
Research Article
Information
Latin American Research Review , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , 1986 , pp. 31 - 53
Copyright
Copyright © 1986 by the University of Texas Press

Footnotes

∗

An earlier version of this paper was presented at a conference in Costa Rica sponsored by the Frederick Naumann Foundation of the Federal Republic of Germany in December 1984. In addition to acknowledging the helpful comments offered by the anonymous referees of this journal, I wish to thank Elizabeth Dore, John Lynch, Francisco Villagran Kramer, Laurence Whitehead, and Sharon Kellum.

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