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States. This war of independence inspired a separation of the
Spanish accord. That's what everybody forgets. Then the vacuum
of power in Central America was filled by the Spanish, by gener–
als, and by the intellectuals and the church. The intellectuals
made the church, and then local politicos. And the fragmentation
was fueled this time by American friends of politicos. A little later
American business came in and then was used to exploit and fer–
ment the resistance. The Americans were not the real cause of the
disorder in Central America, but they used the disorder to
establish the banana republics, and the United Fruit Company
and all that. Now, what's happened? This particular economic
setup disappeared. But Americans have helped set up some
regimes that became unpopular in Latin America. Central
America must be united from an economic point of view, from a
political point of view, and from an international point of view.
There are not many cultural differences between these countries.
Except for Costa Rica, which in turn is very different from
Panama, they are the same. To be a real country we must unite
and yet retain each country's independence. This is a good idea,
from an economic and political point of view. But at this moment
of crisis some of the elites of Central America have become radi–
cal, Marxist- Leninist. And that is new . Yet the Sandinistas are
Latin American, and this is part of Latin American reality . There
are only realities, ideal ones and real ones. But the real Latinos of
Latin and Central America always were the Mexicans - since the
nineteenth century. But this has changed, because revolutionary
movements now are linked to Soviet imperialism . This is a new
fact and a new problem in Latin America, because a viable Cen–
tral America needs a united society with a common goal, and with
a modern democratic government. But that is impossible at the
moment. I think Mexico should promote the idea of Central
American unity and of democracy. To allow leftist governments in
Central America would distract Mexico from such a path. That is
not a very popular idea among intellectuals, either in Latin
America, in Mexico, or in the United States. I know.
MCP:
Most intellectuals in Mexico are pro-Marxist?
OP:
Well, it is a great puzzlement. I think it has to do with moral
and personal psychology rather than with history.
MCP:
Do you think it derives from the power of words?
OP:
Also from desperation, from many things . Intellectuals in the
twentieth century have great problems. Of course, some of them
