A state under siege: elites, criminal networks and institutional reform in Guatemala

Humanitarian crises and a continuing wave of violent crime, exacerbated by the presence of Mexican drug cartels, have multiplied the demands on the Guatemalan state. Two landmark events, however, appear to have undermined the post-conflict settlement that gave rise to a chronically weak and flawed public sector. The election of Álvaro Colom, a self-declared social democrat, and the creation of the UN Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala have coincided with pressures for reform in numerous areas of governance. Both are nevertheless facing paralysis of key policy initiatives - such as tax reform - and repeated acts of corruption in the security forces and the judicial system. This paper, based on extensive field research, maps these new dynamics of power in Guatemala, and underlines the importance of curbing the informal mechanisms that allow individual politicians and officials to be controlled by vested interests and criminal groups.