The Central America we have, the Central America we want
May 8th 2026
On May 8, the transfer of power between Rodrigo Chaves and Laura Fernández will take place in Costa Rica. This event marks the culmination of the rise of the movement that began with Chaves's presidency in 2022 and has aligned Costa Rican politics with the main trends of the contemporary far right.
This is not an isolated incident in the region. Today, all the countries of our isthmus, without exception, live under family dictatorships, authoritarian models of centralized power, and the constant threat of criminal groups seeking to consolidate even more power. In the case of Costa Rica, along with El Salvador under the Bukele family and Honduras with the recently elected Nasry Asfura, there is also an even more visible characteristic: the rightward shift in their political discourse and their subservience to the dictates of the White House.
While Central America has been an area of influence of U.S. imperial policy since the promulgation of the Monroe Doctrine in the 19th century, there have been historical moments when the weight of this influence has been even stronger. This is especially true when local ruling elites choose to manage the countries as colonies subordinate to the geopolitics and geoeconomics of the empire.
We know that historical comparisons are always complex, but it's impossible not to think of the authoritarian era that began with the 1932 massacre in El Salvador and lasted throughout the 30s, under the dictatorships of Jorge Ubico, Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, Tiburcio Carías, Anastasio Somoza García, and the unforgettable pro-fascist who came to the presidency through popular election: León Cortez. That historical record bears a striking resemblance to the current one, obscurantist and oppressive, but hope persists that, just as in that era, the processes of organization among workers, students, intellectuals, and peasants will be strengthened, allowing them to reclaim and assert their rights.
Today we stand in solidarity with the Costa Rican people and call for resistance and the development of strategies to overcome this authoritarian era. It is our responsibility to reflect on time, but also to cherish it, as the beloved poet Roque Dalton said: “We cherish for others the time that is ours.”
CLACSO Working Group Violence in Central America
This text expresses the position of the aforementioned Working Groups and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
