Democratic consolidation and armed conflict in Central America; 20 years after
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25062/1900-8325.332Keywords:
democratic consolidation, democratic transition, internal armed conflict, Central AmericaAbstract
Most academic literature on political transition and democratic consolidation treat the cases of recent military dictatorships, mainly in South America. The Case of Central America differs from that of the rest of the continent especially if it is compared with the Andean Region and the South Cone. The process that led to the establishment and the consolidation of democracy in Central America was a means to peace and not and end per se. In light of these facts, this document attempts to explain, how the end of the civil armed conflicts in El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua influenced the consolidation of democracy in these three countries. In order to do so this document is divided in three sections: first, we study the problem of democratic consolidation and the gap that separates it from the actual establishment of democratic regimes, a phenomenon particularly prevalent in Central America after the 1980s; second, we examine the weakening of the authoritarian power and political transition processes in the three countries and; finally, we evaluate the degree of democratic consolidation as a function of current political conditions in Central America.
Author Biography
Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir, Centro de Estudios Estratégicos sobre Seguridad y Defensa Nacionales –CEESEDEN-.
B.S. International Relations, Rosario University. M.A. International Security, Political Science Institute of Toulouse. M.A. Geopolitics, French Institute of Geopolitics Paris. PhD Candidate Political Science, University of Toulouse. Coordinator of research on Hemispheric Security at the CEESEDEN.
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