El Salvador Conditions, Issues and U.S. Relations

Congress has maintained interest in El Salvador, a small Central American country that has a large percentage of its population living in the United States, since the country's civil conflict. Whereas in the 1980s the U.S. government spent billions of dollars supporting the Salvadoran government's efforts against the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) insurgency, the United States is now working with the country's second consecutive democratically-elected FMLN Administration. Despite the potential challenges involved for both sides, analysts predict that U.S.-Salvadoran relations will remain constructive during Salvador Sánchez Cerén's presidency, as they did during Mauricio Funes' term. El Salvador is facing significant economic and security challenges that the country is unlikely to be able to address without substantial external support. This book discusses the issues and the U.S. relations with El Salvador. It also examines its current conditions.