Central America

Abstract

Abstract This chapter shows the different and unique story of Central America’s interaction with international law. This region is usually neglected by scholarship, even from other Latin American scholars. Yet, the subregion has witnessed a close interaction between geopolitics, domestic, and international law. In fact, it has served as a privileged vantage point for debates around non-intervention, uti possidetis, recognition of governments, inter alia. Therefore, this chapter shows that, in contrast to Mexico and South America, foreign intervention in domestic affairs has a long story in the subregion’s state-building efforts. In fact, a central trait that still lingers in the region is the widespread use of anti-corruption missions. These sort of arrangements, however, have also been prone to abuse—as can be seen clearly in the context of Cold War interventions. Nonetheless, they offer a pioneering example of early mechanisms for international dispute settlement.