Understanding Central America: Second Edition

Since the 1960s, political violence and war in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala have taken 300,000 lives, displaced millions, and reversed decades of economic gains. Progress toward peace has been made since 1989 as the decade of war has changed the politics of conflict in the region and in Washington. In this new edition of a widely praised book, two of the most respected writers on Central American politics examine the origins and development of the regions political conflicts and efforts to resolve them. Highlights of the new edition include an analysis of rapidly evolving regional peace processes, Nicaraguas 1990 elections, the exit of the Sandinistas from power, and the Salvadoran peace accord.The authors trace the roots of underdevelopment and crisis in the region by examining the shared and individual histories of the Central American nations. They offer a theory about rebellion and political stability to account for the striking contrast between war-torn Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua and the stability of Costa Rica and Honduras. Booth and Walker examine the forces driving popular mobilizationeconomic change, liberation theology, and Marxismand evaluate the dramatic changes in U.S. policy toward Central America over the last decade as well as the implications of those changes for the future of the region. Since the 1960s, political violence and war in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala have taken 300,000 lives, displaced millions, and reversed decades of economic gains. Progress toward peace has been made since 1989 as the decade of war has changed the politics of conflict in the region and in Washington. In this new edition of a widely praised book, two of the most respected writers on Central American politics examine the origins and development of the regions political conflicts and efforts to resolve them. Highlights of the new edition include an analysis of rapidly evolving regional peace processes, Nicaraguas 1990 elections, the exit of the Sandinistas from power, and the Salvadoran peace accord. The authors trace the roots of underdevelopment and crisis in the region by examining the shared and individual histories of the Central American nations. They offer a theory about rebellion and political stability to account for the striking contrast between war-torn Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua and the stability of Costa Rica and Honduras. Booth and Walker examine the forces driving popular mobilizationeconomic change, liberation theology, and Marxismand evaluate the dramatic changes in U.S. policy toward Central America over the last decade as well as the implications of those changes for the future of the region.

John A. Booth is Regents Professor of Political Science at the University of North Texas. Thomas W. Walker is professor of political science and Director of the Latin American Studies Program at Ohio University. He is the author of Nicaragua: Living in the Shadow of the Eagle, Fourth Edition (2003, Westview).