ISBN: 9780812217308

In 1999, the Guatemala truth commission issued its report on human rights violations during Guatemala's thirty-six-year civil war that ended in 1996. The commission, sponsored by the UN, … Mehr…

In 1999, the Guatemala truth commission issued its report on human rights violations during Guatemala's thirty-six-year civil war that ended in 1996. The commission, sponsored by the UN, estimates the conflict resulted in 200,000 deaths and disappearances. The commission holds the Guatemalan military responsible for 93 percent of the deaths. In The Guatemalan Military Project, Jennifer Schirmer documents the military's role in human rights violations through a series of extensive interviews striking in their brutal frankness and unique in their first-hand descriptions of the campaign against Guatemala's citizens. High-ranking officers explain in their own words their thoughts and feelings regarding violence, political opposition, national security doctrine, democracy, human rights, and law. Additional interviews with congressional deputies, Guatemalan lawyers, journalists, social scientists, and a former president give a full and balanced account of the Guatemalan power structure and ruling system. With expert analysis of these interviews in the context of cultural, legal, and human rights considerations,The Guatemalan Military Project provides a successful evaluation of the possibilities and processes of conversion from war to peace in Latin America and around the world. Books, [PU: University of Pennsylvania Press]<

ISBN: 9780812217308

 It's no surprise that the Guatemalan military feels a reluctance to discuss its part in the troubles that have plagued that country for the last 36 years, since the 1999 UN Truth Co… Mehr…

 It's no surprise that the Guatemalan military feels a reluctance to discuss its part in the troubles that have plagued that country for the last 36 years, since the 1999 UN Truth Commission determined the armed forces carried out 93 per cent of the 2,000,000 deaths and disappearances occurring in the civil conflict. In The Guatemalan Military Project: A Violence Called Democracy, Jennifer Schirmer has been able to convince more than 50 Guatemalan officers to speak candidly on subjects ranging from the violence unleashed on the people to security doctrines, democracy, law, political opposition and human rights, as well as providing interviews with the former president, journalists, lawyers, congressional deputies and others able to give a well-rounded picture of this country's dreadful legacy and chances for future peace. Books List_Books, [PU: University of Pennsylvania Press]<