Description

In 1986, in the course of Guatemala's democratic opening, the Federal Republic of Germany launched an extensive police assistance project to help reform the country's notorious police forces. Equipment deliveries and training programs were intended to move the Guatemalan police forces towards democratic policing principles and rule of law standards. By 1991, however, non of these goals had been achieved. After continuous human rights violations by Guatemala security forces, the cooperation was terminated. Drawing on interviews and new archival sources, Fabian Bennewitz analyzes the negotiation processes that ultimately led to the failure of the project's transfer efforts. By reconstructing the highly contingent unfolding of the cooperation from a transnational and relational perspective, the author offers insights into the often elusive dynamics of development projects.