Abstract:
Violent crime rates associated with drug trafficking and the availability of small
arms in Latin America is alarmingly high. A variety of frameworks for combatting this
kind of crime exists. Some crime-stopping tactics involve the coordination of the
international community and others encompass the participation and cooperation of the
societies within the affected nations. Yet despite the availability of these tactics,
individuals in some Central American nations have demonstrated a preference for mano
dura, an aggressive strategy against crime that targets perpetrators with harsh
punishments. Mano dura, translated both as ‘iron fist’ or ‘strong hand,’ is an extremely
important crime-fighting strategy to study today since it reminds many proponents of
democracy of the authoritarian regimes that are still fresh in the minds of many Latin
Americans. This thesis explores why Latin American populations express support for
mano dura today, despite the potential dangers it presents. Throughout this project, the
current situation in Guatemala is examined in detail since crime rates there are among the highest in the region and because the nation’s newly elected president promised he would
clean up crime using a mano dura strategy. The thesis, which is supported by theoretical
arguments and evidence from case studies, illustrates that the populations preferring
mano dura are part of a society surrounded in the memory, imagery, and discourse of
violence. Had civil war conflict resolution in Latin America involved a greater degree of
restorative measures and the participation of local communities, then mano dura may not
have become such an attractive policy for individuals today.
