Guatemala: A Former Banana Republic's (Ongoing) Fight For Democracy

Modern Context with Yasmin Aliya Khan

The Guatemalan people have endured centuries of colonial rule, decades of corrupt leadership, and a CIA-backed military coup. The former banana republic has had its lands and its people exploited, and it saw its indigenous Maya population decimated by cruelty and greed. But today, there's hope for a better future in Guatemala. The people have democratically elected Bernardo Alevaro as their next president. Alevaro is a left-leaning progressive who ran on an anti-corruption platform, and he's the son of Juan Jose Alevaro, Guatemala's former president who led the Democratic Revolution of the 1940s. However, corrupt forces within the government are already trying to delegitimize his landslide victory, his party, and his platform. Will Alevaro be allowed to lead the Guatemalan people?