Desperate Guatemalans Embrace an ‘Iron Fist’

They austere villages, dead accouchement and, just a ambagious alley abroad from actuality in 1982, the Guatemalan aggressive aswell massacred hundreds of Mayan peasants, afterwards disturbing old men and raping adolescent women.
But now, all beyond these highlands already ravaged by a 36-year civilian war, the region’s bloodiest anti-Communist conflict, Guatemalans are ambitious the absurd — a able military, aback in their communities.
That is how atrocious this country has become as gangs and Mexican biologic cartels run fever-wild, capturing area and allurement institutions so that Guatemala will abide a safe anchorage for cocaine, guns, money bed-making and new recruits.
“It’s even scarier now than during the war,” said Josefina Molina, 52, authoritative tamales a few accomplish from area a acquaintance was dead two canicule earlier. “The crisis acclimated to be in the mountains — now it’s everywhere.”
Guatemala’s presidential acclamation on Sunday could represent a axis point. The three top contenders accept all alleged for a stronger, crime-fighting military, borrowing heavily from the Mexican archetypal of advancing the biologic cartels head-on, even admitting that action has claimed added than 40,000 lives after acquiescent peace.
The beloved is advised to be Otto Pérez Molina, a above accepted whose attack attribute is an adamant fist. Reserved and intellectual, he both allowable troops during the affliction atrocities of the war and adjourned the 1996 accord accords that concluded it.
“He knows the strategies for fighting,” said Fábio Dagoberto Miza, a attack leader.
But the catechism arena on echo is whether the next government will get boxy after actionable animal rights.
“For many, there is a faculty that the aggressive is traveling to put things in order,” said Raquel Zelaya, controlling administrator of Así Es, a analysis group. And yet, she and others added, what if that acceptance is misplaced?
“The angle that the aggressive is the ‘deus ex machina’ that’s traveling to boldness everything” does not admit that the aggressive “may aswell be allotment of the problem,” said Cynthia Arnson, an able at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Here in Cobán, a coffee boondocks in the country’s lush, aerial middle, the affair can be heard, but mainly a part of earlier aboriginal leaders who still convulse at armed Guatemalans in fatigues. It is harder to acquisition on the streets, area there is a acceleration in murders, or a part of those, like Mrs. Molina’s accouchement — Cindy, Ericka and Enrique — who accept no claimed acquaintance with the civilian war.
As balked 20-somethings, they now represent the majority of the electorate. Added than 60 percent of Guatemala’s almost 7.3 actor registered voters are amid 18 and 30 years old.
In their eyes, the war that dead an estimated 200,000 Guatemalan civilians is a ambiguous shadow. The old brainy action over whether advocate insurgents — angered by an American-backed accomplishment in 1954 — would advance the country to Communism agency annihilation to them.
The army itself is a altered academy now, far smaller, generally amenable for casual out government aid and advised beneath base than the badge or the courts.
“Older humans anticipate that with soldiers we’ll go aback to the past, aback to war,” said Cindy Molina, 29. But the aggressive and Mr. Pérez Molina, she said, “have the ability we need.”
Some experts accept the above general, who is aswell advancement programs to action poverty, is benefiting from Guatemala’s abortion to absolutely accost its past. The country’s ailing financed schools do not cover acquaint on the war. Mr. Pérez Molina’s role has never been absolutely advised (he has denied links to massacres) and admitting efforts to ascertain both memories and victims, a lot of adolescent Guatemalans are blind of their country’s history.
Edgar Gutiérrez Girón, a above adopted minister, says that if he asks acceptance about the war, “they anticipate I’m talking about Iraq.”