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by Jorge I. Domínguez and Marc Lindenberg
Remarkable changes have occurred over the past fifteen years in
Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Panama. Wars are ending,
political systems have opened up substantially, and economic
policies have been redesigned to favor market approaches. Most of
the published literature on this area did not explain these
developments and, in fact, had considered them improbable.
16 figures, notes, index.
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"In Latin
American political studies the hottest theme of the moment is
democratic transition. Much attention has been given to South
America, much less to Central America. This [book] collects under
one cover the thoughts of Central American practitioners
addressing the process in the four countries most characterized
by violence. . . . A significant and original
contribution."--Fred Woerner, former commander-in-chief,
U.S. Southern Command "In this innovative book the editors turned to ten active political leaders from Central America for their own perspectives on the processes of democratization in which they were participants. It makes for fascinating reading." In an introduction that is one of the best short synopses available of the current debate concerning democratization and its precise application to Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Panama, Dominguez observes that 'in the early 1980s no one would have forecast that onetime leaders of the opposition would govern all four of these countries in the early 1990s. No one would have forecast that fair and competitive elections would become routine across the region. No one would have forecast that every military coup attempted since 1984 would fail. No one would have forecast the end of the region's wars.' This excellent book goes a long way toward explaining those achievements."--Foreign Affairs |
