|
|
Article: Securing Central America against communism: The United States and the modernization of surveillance in Cold War
- Article from:
- Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs
- Article date:
- April 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Journal of Interamerican Studies Spring 1999. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
Although the five countries of Central America-Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica-have been formally independent for 175 years, the formation of modern states with credible claims to rule was a process that extended well into the twentieth century1 The state formation pro
cess here, as elsewhere, included the development of effective means of surveillance and control of the inhabitants of the national territory. The subject of this essay is the U.S. government's contribution to the Central American states' surveillance capacity during the final phase of state formation in the isthmus, from about 1950 to about 1990, the period when these states might be said finally ...