Fight and Flight The Central America Human Rights Movement in the United States in the 1980s

The 1980s saw one of the largest social movements in US history, as activists fought to change the Reagan Administration’s policy of supporting right-ring terror and oligarchy in Central America. Despite the size and diversity of the movement, however, it remains understudied. Fight and Flight examines the campaigns of three US NGOs, namely Amnesty International USA, the National Lawyers Guild, and the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador. By analyzing the ways in which the NGOs ameliorated the effects of human rights violations in Central America, primarily through their refugee assistance programs, this research demonstrates that the movement was more effective than is generally reflected in the existing literature.Of particular interest for academic students of human rights and social movements, as well as activists interested in strategies of social change, this book offers a nuanced reading of a critical movement for human rights and international justice.