Peace in Guatemala--Will it ever be possible?

In reading through several of the posts for this week, I think the title of my post can be seen as a guiding question that I kept pondering as I read through the reading for this week. The reading for this week seems like a large collection of different accounts of never-ending violence in Guatemala that leads me to believe that peace in this country is far from attainable.

I can agree with the post beneath me concerning violence against education. This is an interesting concept to cope with especially coming from the Western perspective. Living in the United States as a product of immigrant parents, I am well aware of the concept of education and the importance that is placed on it. Everyone wants to achieve the American dream, and in America it seems as if education is the surest way of making this dream come true. I have always felt a sense of protection in education because I was taught that it is the key to success. In Guatemala, this appears to be the exact opposite. From Lovell's accounts, it seems as if education signifies danger. While in the United States education is a priority, in Guatemala, it is almost as if one is better off without education so that he or she is not targeted by the government. In the United States, education is the foundation for making progress, but in Guatemala if there is no freedom to pursue an education and acquire knowledge without having to worry about risking one's life, then where does the country even begin to make progress? In fact, under the conditions described, I can see these unfortunate circumstances in Guatemala continuing for several more years. The security of education is being stripped away as kids are being introduced to violence at a very young age. For example, the young boys who became orphans after their parents were killed. The young boys were probably not able to comprehend completely what had occurred, but by exposing them to such violence at an early age, the government is only producing violent individuals to continue the dangerous cycle of violence in Guatemala for many years to come.

In addition to the problems with education are the problems with the government. Indeed the government in the United States is by no means perfect; however for the most part, the country still depends on government officials and authorities to instill order in the country by enforcing rules and regulations. This establishes some line of order in the country and thus facilitates the process of moving forward as a country. According to Lovell's accounts, when the atrocious murders occur, there are often no trials and no one is punished for the crime. This is often the case because the government officials are often the perpetrators. Again, how can there even be a possibility for peace in Guatemala under these circumstances? How can the country move forward as a whole in the post war period if the government that is supposed to promote order in the country is the one promoting the disorder and violence?