The historical and political facts of Guatemala and Honduras demonstrate a slow development of mechanisms of democratic control. In a context of difficulty in consolidating transparent democracies, the actions of international organizations have become options to safeguard the proper functioning of Latin American democracies. In this context of permanent instability, the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) was created, and subsequently, the Support Mission Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH). At first, it is proposed to analyze the institutional problems of these countries and the relationship of international organizations as a means of intervention, using institutionalist theory. Afterwards, in a comparative way, the historicity and the performance of these international institutions are analyzed to identify the factors that led to their decline. Finally, through the results obtained, we seek to glimpse, from the perspective of the theory of polyarchy, the dilemmas of democracy and sovereignty in these countries to democratic consolidation. It is concluded that despite the structural corruption, both missions managed to obtain successes in part of their attributions. However, political obstacles and the exercise of sovereignty were fundamental factors in the overthrow of international missions, being more efficient measures of a domestic nature, allowing the strengthening of local institutions and the democratic system as a whole.
Rufino Rodrigues, M., Silveira Ferro, S., & Zanchi Martins, J. (2020). International organizations in democratization in Central America: the case of Guatemala and Honduras. Journal Studies of Public Policy, 6(1), 42–55. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-6296.2020.57807
Twitter