Published March 11th, 2006 by Future Atlas
Guatemala: under pressure from drug traffickers
The Washington Post writes that Guatemala is under increasing pressure from drug traffickers, who have compromised even the highest levels of law enforcement. Great wealth allows narcotraffickers to challenge the state directly:
Drug traffickers seeking to solidify their foothold in the Peten have bought up large tracts of land and paid for medical care, power generators and soccer teams in a bid to win the loyalty of impoverished locals who were long neglected by the central government.
Where governance is weak, globalized crime can hollow out or coopt entire nations, and the smaller countries of Central America and the Caribbean are prime targets.
Guatemala’s situation also illustrates how corruption undermines every state function, debilitating many of the world’s governments.