Guatemala

Human rights groups must work with states to improve law enforcement.

Police aren't the problem, they're the solution. They just need to be better paid and better trained.

President Álvaro Colom of Guatemala meets with his U.S. counterpart this week. The Central American leader hopes to decrease Guatemalan poverty, despite the challenge of global economic insecurity. "With decisive action, and international assistance," writes COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth, "the new president has the opportunity to regenerate a broader growth agenda."

Guatemalans elected Alvaro Colom president in Sunday's run-off vote. With the country's rampant crime rate a focus of the election, Colom won on an anti-poverty platform over pledges by his opponent, a retired general, to use the military for a fierce crackdown. AS/COA produced a July 2007 report on the rule of law in the Americas.

Guatemalans vote Sunday in a tight presidential race marred by violence and mudslinging. The winner faces the challenge of halting a rising crime rate. Read more. The new issue of Americas Quarterly, released November 2, examines security in Latin America. AS/COA produced a July 2007 report outlining means to boost the rule of law in the Americas.

By electing Mr. Berger, Guatemalans voted for their future, not their past. Now is the time for the United States to come alongside Guatemalans and do the same.

This exhibition explored the history and development of photography in Guatemala in over 100 images, from temples to plantations, travelers to politicians, soldiers to families, offering an exhilarating view of over 120 years of the nation’s cultural history.