Seeking peace in El Salvador The struggle to reconstruct a nation at the end of the Cold War

252 Pages·2012·1.388 MB·English

by  United Nations;United Nations., Negroponte, Diana Villiers

Seeking Peace in El Salvador
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Seeking Peace in El Salvador
The Struggle to Reconstruct a Nation
at the End of the Cold War
Diana Villiers Negroponte
seeking peace in el salvador
Copyright © Diana Villiers Negroponte, 2012.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2012 978-0-230-12094-5
All rights reserved.
First published in 2011 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United States – a division of St. Martin’s Press
LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by
Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England,
company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-29909-6 ISBN 978-1-137-01208-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137012081
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Negroponte, Diana Villiers.
Seeking peace in El Salvador : the struggle to reconstruct a nation at the end of the
Cold War / Diana Villiers Negroponte.
p. cm.
1. Peace-building—El Salvador—International cooperation. 2. Mediation,
International. 3. United Nations—El Salvador. 4. United Nations. Observer
Mission in El Salvador. 5. Peacekeeping forces—El Salvador. 6. El Salvador—
History—1979–1992. 7. El Salvador—Politics and government—1979–1992.
I. Title.
JZ5584.S2N44 2011
972.84053—dc23 2011023642
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by MPS Limited, A Macmillan Company.
First edition: January 2012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To John
who has always stood beside me
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Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
1 Theoretical Issues in El Salvador’s Peace Process 1
2 Ancient Conflicts, Modern Violence:
The Causes and Context for Civil War in El Salvador 15
3 Internal Forces Struggle to Resolve the Civil War:
The FMLN and FDR 29
4 Internal Pressures for Ending El Salvador’s Civil War:
ARENA, the Jesuits, and FUSADES 47
5 The United States: Protagonist or Mediator? 61
6 External Influences on the Negotiations to End
the War in El Salvador 79
7 Introducing the United Nations 97
8 Four Critical Moments in the Negotiations 115
9 Implementation of the Chapultepec Peace Accords:
The Achievements 131
10 Challenges to the Peace Accords 145
Epilogue: El Salvador Today 163
Notes 173
Bibliography 225
Index 241
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Preface
The history of El Salvador’s struggle to make peace after twelve bitter years of war
has been told from different perspectives. This book integrates the domestic and
international context of that struggle to demonstrate that the withdrawal of the super-
powers allowed the domestic parties to seek a negotiated settlement. El Salvador’s
efforts to negotiate the end to its protracted social conflict is examined in the light
of the Soviet resolution to end Moscow’s support for wars of national liberation and
Washington’s decision to test Soviet good will in Central America. General Secretary
Gorbachev’s call for noninterference in the s ocio- political developm ents of each state
before the UN General Assembly in December 1988 had profound consequences
for the civil wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua. President George H. W. Bush’s
decision to test that declaration in Central America and Washington’s evaluation
of Gorbachev’s capacity to end Soviet support for the Salvadoran guerilla forces
were critical to ending the war. If Gorbachev’s declaration was effective and Cuban
support through Nicaragua ended, Washington could begin to wind down its
commitment to both the government of El Salvador and the Contras in Nicaragua.
The debate between National Security Advisor, retired General Brent Scowcroft
and Secretary of State, James Baker reflected both U.S. uncertainty of Gorbachev’s
commitment and Secretary Baker’s predominance in the administration’s willingness
to deflate Cold War tensions in Central America.
This historical work examines the consequences for the Cold War’s proxy warriors
in El Salvador. It analyzes internal efforts by private institutions and individuals to
end the civil war. To the extent that the protagonists, the Frente Farabundo Marti de
Liberación Nacional (FMLN) and the Frente Democrática Revolucionario (FDR)
and President Alfredo Cristiani’s government depended upon outside supporters,
Gorbachev’s pronouncements, and Washington’s response forced both sides to focus
on their own capabilities and goals.
Furthermore, the FMLN comandantes faced the consequences of a failed “final
military offensive” in November 1989 and the opposition’s victory in the Nicaraguan
presidential elections of February 1990. The failure of the offensive brought home
the reality that the FMLN had lost both the active support of the Salvadoran people,
and their resupply chain in Managua. Also, in November 1989, the Salvadoran
armed forces faced the consequences of their brutal assassinations of respected Jesuit
priests, their innocent housekeeper and teenage daughter. From defenders against
communism Defense Minister Rene Emilio Ponce and the High Command’s