From the Cold War to more recent struggles with domestic guerrilla groups and drug cartels, Colombia has not had a time of peace since their country was created. Corruption within their own government has left Colombia with no authority; the citizens have nobody to trust, be helped by, or be defended by. Colombia has the potential to institute a stable and effective government, but it has some major complications holding it back. Colombia has been in constant war and armed conflict, domestic and foreign, since the early 19th century. Corruption within their own government has left Colombia with no authority. Colombia entered the side of the Allies during World War II while “social and political divisions within the country intensified” (Gale).
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None of them were resolved peacefully. They were usually caused by difference in culture or beliefs. The FARC, or The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, is a terrorist organization that has had an armed conflict with the Colombian government since 1964. The FARC has been known to use a variety of military tactics, in addition to terrorism. Their operations are funded by kidnap to ransom, extortion, and the production and distribution of illegal drugs. Despite 15 years of armed conflict, there have recently been some peace talks between the Colombian Government and FARC. Juan Santos, the President of Colombia, announced this in 2012. “Exploratory conversations have been held with the FARC to find an end to the conflict. I want to make very clear to Colombians that the approaches that have been carried out and the ones that will happen in the future will be carried out within the framework based on these principles: We are going to learn from the mistakes made in the past so that they are not repeated. Second, any process must lead to the end of the conflict, not making it longer. Third, operations and military presence will be maintained across the entire national …show more content…
. . Since 2002 the violence in Colombia has decreased significantly, partially because the guerrillas lost control of much of the territory they had once dominated.” In 2008, millions of Colombians demonstrated against the FARC. The Colombian government has been trying to find a peaceful solution to the armed conflict, but until this day no final solution has been reached. (Smit & Snijders 12).
The ELN is a “left-wing group formed in 1965 by students and Catholic radicals . . . inspired by the Cuban revolution.” They were seen as more “politically motivated” than the FARC and stayed out of the illegal drug trade until the 2000s. They reached their peak of their power in the late 1990s, profiting mostly from kidnappings and stealing from oil pipelines. Since their peak, their members have declined from “4,000 to an estimated 1,500.” (UN).
The FARC and ELN have similar backgrounds: both say to represent “the rural poor against Colombia’s wealthy classes and oppose U.S. influence in Colombia, the privatization of natural resources, multinational corporations, and rightist violence.” (UN). In some parts of the country they cooperate, while in others they have “clashed
None of them were resolved peacefully. They were usually caused by difference in culture or beliefs. The FARC, or The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, is a terrorist organization that has had an armed conflict with the Colombian government since 1964. The FARC has been known to use a variety of military tactics, in addition to terrorism. Their operations are funded by kidnap to ransom, extortion, and the production and distribution of illegal drugs. Despite 15 years of armed conflict, there have recently been some peace talks between the Colombian Government and FARC. Juan Santos, the President of Colombia, announced this in 2012. “Exploratory conversations have been held with the FARC to find an end to the conflict. I want to make very clear to Colombians that the approaches that have been carried out and the ones that will happen in the future will be carried out within the framework based on these principles: We are going to learn from the mistakes made in the past so that they are not repeated. Second, any process must lead to the end of the conflict, not making it longer. Third, operations and military presence will be maintained across the entire national …show more content…
. . Since 2002 the violence in Colombia has decreased significantly, partially because the guerrillas lost control of much of the territory they had once dominated.” In 2008, millions of Colombians demonstrated against the FARC. The Colombian government has been trying to find a peaceful solution to the armed conflict, but until this day no final solution has been reached. (Smit & Snijders 12).
The ELN is a “left-wing group formed in 1965 by students and Catholic radicals . . . inspired by the Cuban revolution.” They were seen as more “politically motivated” than the FARC and stayed out of the illegal drug trade until the 2000s. They reached their peak of their power in the late 1990s, profiting mostly from kidnappings and stealing from oil pipelines. Since their peak, their members have declined from “4,000 to an estimated 1,500.” (UN).
The FARC and ELN have similar backgrounds: both say to represent “the rural poor against Colombia’s wealthy classes and oppose U.S. influence in Colombia, the privatization of natural resources, multinational corporations, and rightist violence.” (UN). In some parts of the country they cooperate, while in others they have “clashed