Guatemala's Claim to Belize

Book excerpt: "In this timely book, Assad Shoman applies his forensic skills to explain the Guatemalan claim to Belize. Uncovering material long-forgotten or previously unknown, Shoman helps us understand the origins of the claim and why it has proven so difficult to resolve through negotiation. It is essential reading for anyone interested in this dispute and it will figure prominently in all discussions on this issue."Victor Bulmer-Thomas, Professor Emeritus of London University, former Director of Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House)Guatemala has maintained a claim to the entire territory of Belize (formerly Britain's colony of British Honduras in Central America) since the 1940s, when it renounced an 1859 border treaty signed with Britain. All attempts to resolve the dispute by negotiations failed, and Belize became independent in 1981 with a British military force stationed there for its defence. Since independence, continuous incursions by Guatemalans have led to massive deforestation and loss of resources and has sometimes resulted in fatalities. More recently, attempts by the Guatemalan military to forcefully impose its territorial claims have heightened tensions and tested the resolve of an OAS Office stationed at the border since 2003. A referendum in Guatemala in April 2018 produced an overwhelming vote in favour of submitting the dispute to the International Court of Justice, and the referendum in Belize is due in April 2019. This book for the first time details the origins of the claim, the multiple attempts to reach a negotiated settlement from 1862 to 2007, and the effects the claim has had on both countries in the context of the Cold War and after. Throughout, the author examines the legal issues involved, making this an indispensable tool for a full understanding of one of the most intractable territorial claims in the region and for insights into how it might be resolved."Shoman's history of Guatemala's claim to Belize, which is thoroughly researched and clearly written, is suitable for a wide readership, general as well as academic. His analysis pays due attention to the global context of great power rivalries in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and especially to the crucial period of the Cold War. The author, a protagonist who was involved for decades in the negotiations he analyzes, is scrupulously fair and his insights are unique. Indeed, nobody else could have written this book. I recommend it to everyone interested in this particular case and also to those who want to know how a small country can negotiate its way to its independence against formidable odds. This will remain the definitive study and it should be widely read in Belize and elsewhere."Dr. O. Nigel Bolland, Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology, Colgate University, New York.