In this edition of "The Latest @ USIP,” Ricardo Zúniga, the principal deputy assistant secretary and special envoy for the Northern Triangle in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the State Department, discusses why Central America is such a high priority for the Biden administration; the key strategies to prevent, mitigate and resolve violent conflict; and how U.S. engagement, particularly in Guatemala, can help address conflict in the region.

Learn more: The Latest @ USIP: How to Stymie Guatemala’s Democratic Slide

Related Publications

Guatemala: Líderes Indígenas Encabezan Campaña por la Democracia a Nivel Nacional

Guatemala: Líderes Indígenas Encabezan Campaña por la Democracia a Nivel Nacional

Friday, October 20, 2023

By: Lucila Del Aguila;  Mary Speck, Ph.D.

Cuando el candidato anticorrupción Bernardo Arévalo ganó en agosto la presidencia de Guatemala, sus seguidores urbanos salieron a las calles en jubilo. Dos meses después, todavía siguen allí, pero no celebrando, sino protestando en contra de los ataques de la fiscal general guatemalteca hacia la elección de Arévalo. Este mes, las manifestaciones se propagaron a nivel nacional al convocar las autoridades indígenas a una huelga exigiendo la renuncia de la fiscal. El liderazgo de las protestas por parte de los pueblos indígenas marginados de Guatemala conlleva tanto peligro como promesa. La inestabilidad en las regiones rurales empobrecidas podría provocar olas adicionales de migrantes hacia la frontera de Estados Unidos.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Democracy & Governance

Guatemala: Indigenous Leaders Take Democracy Campaign Nationwide

Guatemala: Indigenous Leaders Take Democracy Campaign Nationwide

Friday, October 20, 2023

By: Lucila Del Aguila;  Mary Speck, Ph.D.

When anti-corruption candidate Bernardo Arévalo won Guatemala’s presidency in August, his urban supporters took to the streets in celebration. Two months later, they are still there, not in celebration but in protest against challenges to Arévalo’s election led by the country’s attorney general. This month, the protests went national when Indigenous authorities called a strike demanding the attorney general’s resignation. The participation of Guatemala’s marginalized Indigenous peoples in nationwide protests holds both peril and promise. Instability in the impoverished rural hinterland could send additional waves of migrants toward the U.S. border. But the Indigenous population’s defense of elections could also prove a watershed moment for Guatemalan democracy.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Democracy & Governance

Mary Speck on Guatemala’s Protests

Mary Speck on Guatemala’s Protests

Monday, October 16, 2023

By: Mary Speck, Ph.D.

President-elect Bernardo Arevalo’s electoral victory in August “has not sat well with the political establishment” in Guatemala, says USIP’s Mary Speck, and their attempts to undermine the transition have been met by popular protests led by Indigenous leaders advocating “on behalf of democracy.”

Type: Podcast

Global Policy

La movilización juvenil genera esperanza para el futuro democrático de Guatemala

La movilización juvenil genera esperanza para el futuro democrático de Guatemala

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

By: Miriam Psychas

El 20 de agosto, los guatemaltecos votaron decisivamente a favor de Bernardo Arévalo en la segunda vuelta de las elecciones presidenciales, dando paso al que probablemente será el presidente más progresista del país en décadas. En apenas dos meses, el Partido Movimiento Semilla de Arévalo condujo una campaña de bajo presupuesto impulsada, desde las redes sociales, que llevó a un candidato poco conocido a una victoria aplastante de 20 puntos.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Democracy & GovernanceYouth

View All Publications