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Authors: CRISTINA EGUIZÁBAL, ANA YANCY ESPINOZA and TATIANA BENAVIDES
Year of Publication: 2017
Publisher: CEXECI
Collection: Pensamiento Iberoamericano
Number: 9
ISBN: 978-84-943954-7-5
Price: 12 EUR

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La paz en Centroamérica, 1987-1990. El Plan Arias desde adentro covers the period from August 1987 till the end of the Arias administration (1990). The peace negotiation described in it is one of the bravest and most decisive episodes in the history of Central America. A moment when the region became the focus of global attention and at a time when colossal forces bore down on the Central American peoples’ destiny, who found themselves in a scenario of civil strife that put an end to hundreds of thousands of lives and produced millions of refugees. We should go back in time and relive the features of the time; the cruelty and the extension of the war and the fear of a general confrontation that would sooner or later involve the Costa Rican territory and population. It is difficult to imagine the harsh economic conditions then faced by Central America; the immense international pressure it suffered and the suspicion with which many considered the possibility to find a pacific solution to the conflict.

That is undoubtedly one of the main contributions of this publication: to accurately reflect, as Cristina Eguizábal points out, the “climate of the period” turning to different historiography sources. It is unique research work. Access to all the characters of process was possible an almost all of them were interviewed; almost all the sources employed were primary, even the personal agendas and mimeographed document belonging to the personal archive of our founder and main character: Óscar Arias. The analysis and systematisation of the material was carried out by specialists and qualified scholars. It is the result of twenty five years of work. During this time, the processes and the individuals matured, the CIA and the KGB archives were declassified and the “Procedure to establish a firm and lasting peace in Central America” was colloquially referred to as the “Arias Plan” within the academic and the political field.