From less war to more peace: Guatemala's journey since 1996

This paper examines Guatemala since December 1996 when the Guatemalan Government and the insurgent guerrillas (the URNG) signed a Peace Accord, ending a violent thirty-six year civil war. This achievement, remarkable at first glance, ushered in a state of “negative peace” or the absence of war. This event, however, also marked the beginning of an attempt to achieve “positive peace” or a civil society built upon the principles of social justice. The paper’s analysis reveals these years to be a timely and important struggle with international implications. It examines how Guatemalans have addressed longstanding economic, social, and political disparities that engendered the civil war in the first place and are still evident today. It also examines how Guatemala has been influenced not only by external political and economic forces but also by the inherent challenges that follow a violent civil war: the tension between truth and reconciliation, the tension between peace and justice, the legacy of violence, and the reintegration of former combatants.