Source: Free Speech Radio News
Last summer, 200 US Marines arrived in Guatemala to disrupt the operations drug traffickers on the Pacific coast. President Otto Perez Molina, inaugurated in 2012, is a retired general who rose to become head of intelligence of the Guatemalan Army. He’s talked about de-criminalizing drugs at international forums, and embraced the militarization of drug trafficking domestically. During his term, Perez Molina promised to improve security by cracking down on crime, and to promote development through energy projects and the extractive industries. But there’s a hitch: throughout the country, communities are rising up and saying no to mining, dams, and mega projects. Across the country, these struggles are increasingly militarized.
In this special documentary for FSRN, journalist Dawn Paley reports on resources, militarization, and the war on drugs in Guatemala.