Peace

The reading this week made me think about Peace and what that really means. Chapter 9 is titled, Peace of the Dead. In chapter 9 Lovell states, “If, in relative terms, peace prevailed, it was an uneasy, unsettling peace – the peace of the dead.” That term, “peace of the dead” seemed very ironic to me. Those who had died were often gruesomely tortured and murdered. I doubt that they or the loved ones they left behind were at peace. They were silent and frozen in fear and this could be construed as a type of peace.

Later in the Searching for Peace Chapter I began to think of peace in two different ways. One way is the forced peace that Guatemala was still experiencing in 1993 with the militarized communities. I think the “peace of the dead” would also fall into this category. The other peace is what I would consider real peace. Real peace is what Guatemala hoped to have, but cannot with such a heavy emphasis on the military. Lovell summed up my thoughts when he noted, “Peace in Guatemala hinges on defining a very different role for the national armed forces than they have assumed and enacted up to now.” Forced peace seems to be a state in which peace does not actually exist but one in which a façade is created for the outside world. I think the Guatemalan government was hoping to present itself in a different more civil light to other counties.

In Chapter Sixteen, “Scarred by War” Lovell states, “ Talking about peace may be the closest Guatemala ever gets to it.” Although Lovell argues that drudging up the past and talking about peace might not be beneficial I would disagree. It seems that slowly but surely Guatemala is getting some of the retribution it deserves. For example, Alpírez was brought forward on his numerous crimes. It seems that the acknowledgement of the atrocities committed and that the army was involved is a step in the right direction. Hopefully talking about peace will eventually lead to actions.