Societal Transformation for Peace in El Salvador

This article argues that significant political, economic, and social changes within Salvadoran society and changes in the world arena permitted reconciliation between the Salvadoran government and the insurgents of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN). The negotiated peace was based on contending parties' perceptions that each could claim victory and that society had been transformed sufficiently to permit an acceptable future. The U.S. government's support for the Salvadoran government and the peace process, for reasons of both national security and the promotion of democracy and human rights, was vindicated. Salvadoran society is progressing toward the end state envisioned by the U.S. government and by Salvadoran democrats. The 1994 presidential elections included all political parties, and the FMLN established itself for the time being as the nation's second-strongest political force in the democratic process. Continued economic development and consolidation of democratic society depend on maintaining the expansion of opportunities for historically excluded sectors of society.