Minugua's peacebuilding mandate in Western Guatemala

Abstract

In 1997 the process of national reconciliation in Guatemala faces a critical moment. With a final peace settlement agreed, ending 36 years of internal armed conflict, the dynamics of international intervention are about to change radically. The rebuilding of war‐torn societies has been a keenly discussed issue over the past few years and in Guatemala the possibilities of post‐conflict peacebuilding mark a new departure in the debate. This article examines what has been achieved so far, paying particular attention to the effects of UN human rights verification and institution building at the local level. These activities represent just one feature of the new peacekeeping agenda which is emerging to meet the challenges of the new millennium. The article argues that peacebuilding is essentially a political activity and that the parameters of success are determined by the extent to which different political actors at all levels are prepared to compromise their own interests in order to furnish structures of human‐based security.