The history of democracy in Central America is a tragic affair, and its future looks nearly as bleak, a professor from the University of Peace told a packed house Thursday evening.
Victor Valle, the dean for academic affairs and a professor of human security at the San Jose, Costa Rica school said there are three key issues to address on the road to democracy in Central America.
"Un-democracy as a source of deadly conflict," "full democracy as an unfinished and endless task," and "threats against democracy" Valle identified as the most pressing concerns.
The speech was the first event for the Central American Peace Project, a new student group supported by the Institute for Global Leadership and the University College of Citizenship and Public Service.
One of the group's leaders, senior Mauricio Artinano, said the group's goal is to promote awareness of the region's democracy-building efforts. Group members spent the summer in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica speaking with government officials and people working to promote democracy.
Valle's speech, "The Long Walk Ahead," was introduced by senior Andrea Petersen. Valle served as the senior educator at the Organization of American States and helped found the National Commission to Consolidate Peace in his native El Salvador.
Until recently, democracy was nearly non-existent in Central America, Valle said. He described the region's time under authoritarian governments as "a story of darkness." Governments resorted to "oppression and physical force...in order to gain control of the people," he said.
El Salvador had no democratic elections until 1975.
Central American governments used force and fear to maintain their rule. During the Cold War, Valle said, "military dictators were democrats, and opponents communists."
Referring to "full democracy as an unfinished and endless task" would be an understatement, Valle said. He described the qualifications for ideal democracies: "Free and honest elections, freedom of expression, access to information, continuous bridging of social gaps and inequalities, and equal opportunity for all."
Democracy is "a continuous process of consensus-building," he said. The process is slow and incremental. Officials "need to go step by step to provide democratic institutions" and political openness, Valle said.
He mentioned the 1992 El Salvador Peace Accord as an example of the step-by-step progress necessary for democracy in the region.
Stumbling blocks remain in the region's path to democratic development. Militias and ordinary citizens often resort to using force to solving social problems. Governments are often corrupt, and states called democracies are sometimes run by a single political party.
Following his prepared speech, Valle took questions from the audience - many of whom had Central American backgrounds. He addressed the Mexican elections scheduled for 2006 and the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
Valle said he is optimistic about the region's future, despite the current difficulties.
