The role of private companies in violent conflicts has gained increasingly more attention in recent years. Although the private sector is often associated with sustaining conflicts, companies are also assumed to be self-interested as well as able to support the prevention, settlement and transformation of violent conflicts. This book explores the role of the private business sector during the civil war and the peace process in Guatemala. It examines and analyses the corporate positions during this period, aiming to add to a better understanding on the potentials and limits of integrating private business actors in conflict transformation.

General study of Guatemala - covers history, geographical aspects, population, ethnic groups, social structure, religious practices, education, health, the economy (agricultural sector, industrial sector), government, politics, the armed forces, etc. Bibliography, glossary, organigram, photographs, statistical tables.

The findings of the Study Group on United States-Guatemalan Relations,organized under the auspices of the Central American and Caribbean Program(CACP) at the School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns HopkinsUniversity, focus on the nature of Guatemalan politics, possibilities for democratization,and the options available to U.S. policymakers during the regime ofGeneral Rios Montt. Also included in this book are two papers, commissioned by the CACP, that present starkly contrasting views of Guatemala in order to provide a background for the study group's discussions. As anticipated by study group members, the Rios Montt regime fell from power after the initial writing of this report, but their findings nevertheless provide an excellent overview of the debate on U.S. policy toward Guatemala.

The Guatemalan economy is recovering faster than anticipated during the previous program review. The economic outlook has improved since the second program review. The fiscal deficit in 2010 will decline somewhat. There was agreement that a comprehensive tax reform remains the key medium-term challenge. There was agreement that monetary policy should remain vigilant. There has been progress in advancing financial sector reforms, but key elements of the reform agenda are pending. The near-term outlook has improved since the second program review, and downside risks have declined further.