Manuel Colom Argueta and the Democratic Collapse of the Central American Cold War, 1954-1979

situates them within broader Central American patterns of failed democratic transitions. Colom's assassination in 1979, shortly after achieving legal recognition for his party, marked a critical turning point in Guatemala's descent into widespread political violence. Rather than treating political violence as inevitable, this monograph underscores how political alternatives were systematically dismantled by domestic elites and international actors. Through the lens of biography, we're offered a new interpretation of the Central American Cold War, showing how political moderates were excluded, targeted, and ultimately eliminated. Colom's life provides a compelling entry point into the history of lost democratic possibilities in the region. [Publisher's text]

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