Central American Crisis Research Articles

Perspectives on the Central American crisis: ‘Reactionary despotism’ or monopoly capital?

This article critically assesses the analysis put forward by John Weeks that the Central American crisis is due to ‘reactionary despotism’. Borjas proposes that the crisis has its roots in monopoly capital.

The Missing Link: Canada's Security Interests and the Central American Crisis

The Central American crisis has occasioned a great deal of discussion in Canada over the past half-decade, and there is no reason to assume that the coming years will see any abatement of the public interest in the region and its problems. If anything, one can foresee an increase in concern over Central American issues and for reasons other than the likely growth in the proportion of the Canadian population with Central American roots or affinities. It is revealing that the Special Joint Committee on Canada's International Relations discovered that more Canadians wanted to talk more often about Central American issues than about problems in any other single region of the world,1 and this notwithstanding Canada's very real and expensive alliance commitments to Western Europe and the United States commitments that presumably should have betokened a vibrant public attentiveness, at least to Western Europe, as a region of Vital' Canadian interest. Yet despite the demonstrably high level of public concern with Central America, the debate within Canada both over the causes and implications of the crisis and over the logic of Can-

The Missing Link: Canada's Security Interests and the Central American Crisis

The Missing Link: Canada's Security Interests and the Central American Crisis

Soviet “New Thinking” and the Central American Crisis

A revolution can only be legitimate if it is capable of defending itself(Lenin,Sochinenia).While it is Still too Early to draw decisive conclusions about the ongoing process of reform in the USSR, there are some observations that might safely be made.Glasnosthas generally come to be viewed as a profound attempt to re-evaluate a number of time-honored principles of Marxism-Leninism before the actual undertaking ofperestroika(policy reform) itself. If the scope and potential success ofperestroikaare the subject of heated scholarly debate in the West, a consensus holds that, thus far, a process of rethinking, re-evaluating, and transforming approaches to domestic policies in the USSR lie at its core. In light of the importance of the reform for the evolution of the Soviet domestic system, its influence upon the conduct of Soviet foreign policy represents an intriguing area for examination.

An Interpretation of the Central American Crisis

For the last ten years, Central America has been in upheaval, experiencing fundamental social and political change, with the Nicaraguan revolution representing the most dramatic rupture with the past. This revolution, the civil war in El Salvador, two recent coups in Guatemala, and the militarization of Honduras by the United States are all aspects of the crisis currently transforming the region. This article will argue that these dramatic events comprise a general disintegration of what might be called the “old order” in Central America. While the particular characteristics of each country must be taken into account, a process of creative destruction can be identified that is best understood at the level of the region as a whole.

The Central American Crisis: Sources of Conflict and the Failure of U.S. Policy

The Central American Crisis: Sources of Conflict and the Failure of U.S. Policy

Perspectives on the Central American crisis

Perspectives on the Central American crisis

The Central American Crisis: Is There a Role for Western Europe?

The Central American Crisis: Is There a Role for Western Europe?

The International Aspects of the Central American Crisis

The International Aspects of the Central American Crisis

Costa Rica: Citadel of Democracy

Mlle. de la Souchère, who is now on the staff of the Paris weekly France-Observateur, is a frequent contributor to MR on Latin American subjects. The timeliness of her article on Costa Rica is not to be measured by the role of that country in today's headlines (we are writing these lines in the first week of May). Beneath the surface, Costa Rica remains the nerve center of a steadily mounting Central American crisis. We have what we believe to be reliable information that a new invasion of Costa Rica is even now being planned and, in the absence of outside intervention, will certainly take place. Mlle. de la Souchère's article shows why Costa Rica is the object of attack and highlights the responsibility of the State Department in the present situation. —The EditorsThis article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.