Author Description

The purpose of this research is to determine if the Guatemalan military has successfully transitioned from a wartime counterinsurgency military to a professional peacetime military subordinated to civilian control within a democracy. In December of 1996, the Guatemalan government and the insurgent representatives signed the final Peace Accord that brought an end to the country's thirty-six years of civil war. Since then, the Guatemalan military has had four years in which to transition from war to peace and to fulfill the requirements of the Peace Accords. This study develops a set of criteria that indicate a successful transition from a counterinsurgency military to a professional peacetime military. Next, this study determines the disposition of the Guatemalan military prior to the declared peace, examines relevant requirements of the Peace Accords, determines the current disposition of the Guatemalan military, and then compares all three in order to establish whether or not the Guatemalan military has successfully transitioned to a professional peacetime military subordinated to civilian control within a democracy. This study concludes by identifying what else the Guatemalan military must do in order to continue its transition and how the United States can support those efforts.