Impacts of US Foreign Policy and Intervention on Guatemala
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School January 2013 Impacts of U.S. Foreign Policy and Intervention on Guatemala: Mid-20th Century Patricia M. Plantamura University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the International Relations Commons, and the Latin American Studies Commons Scholar Commons Citation Plantamura, Patricia M., "Impacts of U.S. Foreign Policy and Intervention on Guatemala: Mid-20th Century" (2013). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4745 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Impacts of U.S. Foreign Policy and Intervention on Guatemala: Mid-20th Century by Patricia Plantamura A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Political Science College of Arts and Science University of South Florida Major Professor: Harry E. Vanden, Ph.D. Rachel May, Ph.D. Michael Miller, Ph.D. Date of Approval: July 9, 2013 Keywords: Sovereignty, Communist Containment, Intervention, Land Tenure, Counterinsurgency Copyright © 2013, Patricia Plantamura DEDICATION I dedicate this work to President Juan José Arévalo who long ago challenged the North American people to learn of the effects of U.S. foreign policy and intervention on our neighbors and friends in Latin America. With this work I have heeded his call. I also dedicate this work to my friend, Greg Plantamura, who has sought the best for me, as he holds high expectations for productive use of my education, in our common search for peace and justice. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My thanks to Dr. Harry E. Vanden for the time and effort he took in directing this thesis, and for his advice in putting my Committee together. I would also like to thank Dr. Rachel May and Dr. Michael Miller for their willingness to serve on my Committee. I am grateful to each of you for your input and for the encouragement you provided in completing this task. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 Chapter Two: Literature Review ....................................................................................... 12 On Realism and National Interest ......................................................................... 14 Hans J. Morgenthau’s Politics Among Nations, and James E. Dougherty and Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr.’s Contending Theories of International Relations ................................................................... 14 On Imperialism ..................................................................................................... 16 Paul Kennedy’s The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers ............................ 16 Chalmers Johnson’s Blowback .................................................................. 18 Ronald H. Chilcote’s Theories of Comparative Politics ........................... 20 On Sovereignty and Intervention .......................................................................... 23 C. Neale Ronning’s “Intervention, International Law, and the Inter- American System” .............................................................................. 23 “American Exceptionalism”, U.S. Political Leadership and Alternate Views............................................................................................................... 26 Samuel P. Huntington’s The Dilemma of American Ideals and Institutions in Foreign Policy, and Hans J. Morgenthau’s “Repression’s Friend” ......................................................................... 26 Peter H. Smith’s Talons of the Eagle ......................................................... 28 Lars Schoultz’s Beneath the United States ................................................ 30 Historical Background of Guatemala-U.S. Relations ........................................... 32 Stephen Schlesinger & Stephen Kinzer’s Bitter Fruit ............................... 32 Richard H. Immerman’s The CIA in Guatemala ....................................... 33 Susanne Jonas’ The Battle for Guatemala ................................................. 34 Learn the History of Latin America ...................................................................... 36 Noam Chomsky’s Turning the Tide ........................................................... 36 Juan José Arévalo’s The Shark and the Sardines....................................... 37 Freedom of Information Act and Declassified Information Sources ................... 39 Chapter Three: Economic Considerations ........................................................................ 41 Contextual Background: Guatemala, the United States and the World ................ 41 Agrarian Reform and Labor Protection ................................................................ 50 Specifics of Land Reform ..................................................................................... 54 i Chapter Four: Guatemala and the Cold War ..................................................................... 59 Varying Perspectives on Communism .................................................................. 59 Preparation for Ouster of Arbenz through Coup d’état ........................................ 66 Chapter Five: 1954 Coup d’état ........................................................................................ 71 Guatemala Is “Liberated”: Operation PBSUCCESS ............................................ 71 Results of the 1954 Coup ..................................................................................... 83 Chapter Six: Militarization: Legacy of “Liberation” ........................................................ 86 Castillo Armas Secures His Power ....................................................................... 86 Guatemala Was Not Always Militarized ............................................................... 93 Counterinsurgency Begins .................................................................................... 97 Chapter Seven: Conclusions ........................................................................................... 100 Effects of U.S. Foreign Policy and Intervention ................................................. 100 Economic and the 1954 Coup d’état ....................................................... 100 Cold War and Communist Containment .................................................. 103 Militarization of Guatemala .................................................................... 105 U.S. Intervention: Not the Only Factor, But an Essential Factor ........................ 111 Sovereignty Is Important ..................................................................................... 113 What Can Be Done With This Knowledge? ....................................................... 115 Works Cited ................................................................................................................. 118 ii ABSTRACT International Relations theory includes realist concepts of sovereign nation-states interacting in an anarchic world as they rationally determine their own national interests based upon ever-changing competition for power. In this interplay for power, nation- states may affect each other politically, economically, ideologically or militarily. This thesis focuses on effects of U.S. foreign policy and U.S. intervention in Guatemala in the time period surrounding the Guatemalan Revolution (1944-1954), with its “liberation” in 1954, and then into the early 1960s as the Guatemalan state began to be militarized. In this thesis I will answer the following question: How did the United States affect the sovereign nation of Guatemala, through economic policy, Cold War rationale, and military operations and thereby contribute to and facilitate the establishment of the nature of the Guatemalan counterinsurgency state? Through historically documented and officially acknowledged events an assessment will be made as to how these three elements singularly and also collectively influenced the internal workings of the Guatemalan state. iii CHAPTER ONE Introduction Foundational principles in Political Science and International Relations include concepts such as the sovereignty of the individual nation-state, with concerns of national security within each nation. These theories can be at odds with what happens in the real world. A prime example of this is Guatemala, where power politics–economic power, military power and ideological power of the United States–all affected another sovereign nation. Many people believe that the effects of U.S. foreign policy and intervention efforts set in motion the tragic situation in Guatemala resulting in what some members of the international community conclude was genocide. In Richard N. Adams’ study in Guatemalan social anthropology Crucifixion by Power, he acknowledges the understanding that the nation-state is the basic unit of investigation. He says that in a world of sovereign nations, the nation-state claims ultimate authority in wielding power within its own domains