Despite the 2016 peace accords in Colombia, conflict and violence continue due to the U.S.-supported neoliberal economic model. In order to imagine peace, we must imagine a new model of reparations and justice.
As protests in Colombia rage on, President Trump’s meeting with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos could point towards a deepening of militarized drug war policies over investing in Colombia's peace process.
Replicating Plan Colombia's failed approach, a Washington aid program for Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador combines neoliberal economic reforms with military aid.
A five-star General's specious narrative about the program’s success ignores the crimes and impunity of the Colombian military, and lets the U.S. off the hook for fostering systemic human rights violations.
The United States has historically played a critical role in Colombia's civil war due to its special links with its military that were cemented through Plan Colombia.
The new leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) Timoleón Jiménez has reiterated the call for the urgent resumption of peace talks. However, to get there, the United States must change its position toward favoring a peaceful solution. This is the white elephant whose role has been omnipresent yet underappreciated by analysts of war and peace in Colombia.
The government of Juan Manuel Santos is adjusting its military strategy to concentrate on special operations rather than on sustained large scale operations such as Plan Patriota. The move is another step in the shifting dynamics of the Colombian conflict in recent years.
