Mixed Motives: The politics of U.S. interest in Refugees in Honduras during the 1980s

Abstract

Abstract:This article focuses on how Salvadoran and Nicaraguan refugees in Honduras during the 1980s were viewed within the United States. The article is not concerned with the actions of aid agencies within Honduras but instead details how concerns for these refugees were both politicised and politicising and how this fit in with existing US debates over the Cold War and US policy in Central America. From Salvadoran solidarity activists to the Reagan administration, a variety of groups highlighted refugees in Honduras as a means of emphasising the righteousness of their cause. The primacy of refugee welfare as a motivating factor differed however, and thus the more exploitative nature of the Reagan administration's interest in refugees stands in contrast to that of other actors.