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In March 1999, President Clinton apologized for the US's support and training of Guatemalan military officers, which contributed to the bloody civil war. He said the the US must "remember the past, but never repeat it" and vowed to support Guatemala in the peace-building and reconciliation process.

This article describes the distinct differences between the main square of Guatemala City of 1986 and 2006. In 1986 Guatemala was "just emerging from a ghastly civil war which claimed as many as 200,000 victims, the vast majority of them killed or forcibly abducted by the state security forces". In 2006, when the reporter traveled to Guatemala, he discovered a much more peaceful environment. As Guatemalans comes to terms with the violence that it has endured for the past three generations, they do not forget about their suffering. In the main square are 12 pillars that are engraved with the names of all those known to have died during the years civil conflict.

In 2005, 665 women were killed in Guatemala. The crimes are rarely investigated and not one has been solved. This article is gives first-hand accounts of the atrocious crimes committed. Because of the lack of investigation and corrupt police force, nothing is ever done to bring justice to the women and their families. Including the murders during 36 years of civil war, there have been three generations of killers who have murdered without punishment. The president of Guatemala, Oscar Berger, insists that he is optimistic of change in the form of better police forces. In truth, "the killings will not sop unless the justice system works".

The "Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation," formally known as "the School of the Americas" is a United States Department of Defense facility in Fort Benning, Georgia. The school is responsible for training a multitude of Latin American soldiers and policeman, many of whom have been responsible for a number of human rights violations. Graduates from the school include Guatemala's Efraín Ríos Montt, one of the most notorious generals of the Guatemalan army and president during part of the civil war. The SOA Watch is an advocacy organization formed in protest of the training methods utilized by the WHISC, including classes on torture and interrogation, jungle warfare, and how to preform a military Coup d'états.

This article talks about the poverty in Guatemala. 75 percent of Guatemalans are below the poverty line, and 58 percent are below the extreme poverty line. Although it is not specifically stated, the extreme level of poverty may be a reason for the violence plaguing Guatemala today, and may be preventing the improvement of society from the civil war era.

This article shows that both sides initiate violence in Guatemala. Locals intercepted the policeman, who was accused of extortion, and brutally murdered him. Lynchings, however, are common and are seen as forms of vigilante justice.