Just over three decades ago, when the PUP government in Belize was exhorting the population, including the Opposition UDP, to join in the campaign to support the passage of the Maritime Areas Act (MAA) as a vehicle toward ending the centuries-old Guatemalan claim to our Belizean territory, even the Catholic Church in Belize came on board after the convincing invitation by the government, which asked the disarming question: “Who is against peace?” in gaining their vote of support for the MAA. Philip Golson’s NABR (National Alliance for Belizean Rights) was still not convinced, and only entered an alliance with the UDP to contest the 1993 general elections on the UDP’s promise to repeal the MAA if they were elected, but they never did. Belizeans are indeed all in favor of peace, especially considering the far superior military might of our covetous western neighbor who has so far agreed to settle the matter at the ICJ. But looming large over both our rhetorical shoulders is the world superpower USA, who under its president Carter had given the nod for Belize’s independence which was realized in 1981, with Guatemala lodging the only dissenting vote at the United Nations General Assembly.
media.un.org — “25 September 1981
“The General Assembly this morning admitted Belize as the 156th Member of the United Nations in a recorded vote of 144 in favour, 1 against, and no abstentions. It acted by adopting a resolution sponsored by 71 States. The lone dissent came from Guatemala which claims Belize as part of its territory.”
“Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim (at microphone) delivers remarks today at the ceremony marking the raising of the Belize flag for the first time at the UN. Standing at Mr. Waldheim’s left are Belize’s Prime Minister George C. Price and General Assembly President Ismat T. Kittani.”
The USA’s “nod” in favor of Belize was vital, because, like the current situation with the Palestinians’ case at the UN, it was the previous veto of the motion by the USA, as a senior member of the Security Council, that had delayed Belize’s independence, just as the repeated veto of the USA in the UN Security Council has delayed the recognition by the UN of a Palestinian state. The glaring difference is that, while the long-standing peace has been maintained in our region after the US dropped its veto, the decades-long “war” has continued in the Middle East, and the US has consistently exercised its veto against Palestinian statehood, meanwhile supporting Israel in its genocidal occupation and military aggression against the Palestinian people. It appears to be a contradiction, the USA supporting peace in our case, while seeming to uphold a never-ending war and massacre in the case of the Palestinians. The only explanation that has long been forwarded is that the USA has an “iron clad” commitment to support Israel, apparently in whatever it wants to do, perhaps as “the Chosen People”?
The Maritime Areas Act was one thing, but the Compromis, which now sees us at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) along with Guatemala, asking the court to finally determine our boundaries, was quite another. It was viewed by many Belizeans who voted against going to the ICJ as a humongous risk, one too great for a nation of people to take, after our right to “self-determination and territorial integrity” had already been adjudicated and affirmed by the vast majority of nations at the UN. But the persistence and belligerence of Guatemala was such that, it was the view of a majority who voted, that with Guatemala now opting for the courts to give its mandate, Belize would appear to not respect and acknowledge the desirability of settling a contentious international matter at the highest court of nations, the ICJ. This, Guatemala’s position appeared to be, was the way of peace; and were Belize to have refused, it would have put us in another category, one in which we would be most vulnerable. War is not an option for Belize.
So, here we are in 2025, and the ICJ seems to be looming ever so much nearer, while the Guatemalan lobby has been circulating a propaganda video on social media purporting to be the one whose rights have long been trampled on, and now the ICJ will set things right. Belizeans who voted to go to the ICJ, and know 100% the righteousness and legal strength of our case, are not the slightest bit intimidated. But those of us who were wary of going to the ICJ are understandably uneasy, and even fearful that the battery of top international lawyers that Guatemala has at its disposal may somehow turn the court in their favor.
A bigger concern for Belizeans with full confidence in the credibility and integrity of the ICJ judges, is what comes after. How will Guatemala react to a firm decision by the ICJ in favor of Belize’s long-standing position as a free and democratic nation inside borders that have been in existence by international treaty since 1859, affirmed by mutual delineation in 1933, and acknowledged by the UN General Assembly in 1981?
Perhaps the biggest concern for little Belize, is how the great USA will respond to the decision of the ICJ in the Belize-Guatemala case. This is because Guatemala has long enjoyed a special relationship with the US, as has the state of Israel; and it is recalled that the USA has even rejected the findings and the very legitimacy of the International Criminal Court when it ordered the arrest of Israel’s prime minister on the charge of crimes against humanity, for the genocide against the Palestinian people.
In Belize, we can only pray that the USA will exert its influence, when the ICJ verdict comes down, to help maintain peace in our region. If the USA, which had long carried the international reputation as the leader of democracy and the champion of peace in the world, is now appearing to choose the route of war when its efforts at diplomacy don’t achieve the desired results, will Belize still enjoy the position in the eyes of the U.S. as a friend to be cherished and protected? After all, it has been said that in this hemisphere, this little Jewel, a welcoming home to immigrants from all our neighbors, is the one most worthy of the title, “The New Jerusalem”. Something for the US policymakers to consider.
Nevertheless, it remains our duty and in our best interest as a sovereign nation and people, to exercise our discretion in exploring all our options as a member of the so-called “non-aligned” group of nations and as a standing member of the Commonwealth, in our quest for support from wherever, even as we employ our best efforts at diplomacy with our neighbor who has seemed more reasonable in recent times. Perhaps, it would not hurt in that effort to gently remind them of the many new Belizeans who have Guatemalan ancestry and are enjoying the harmony and security of peaceful living in their new home, Belize. Indeed, our grassroots people on both sides of the border have a lot in common; and if there is one thing the current Guatemalan residents should be apprised of, it is that, there is no more need for the “Belice es nuestro” chant of old; the Belizean peace can be theirs at home in Guatemala also, if they follow the Belizean example of democracy for all – “todos ganamos”. Yes, we can all live together in peace and harmony and respect.