The Risks to Colombia’s Delicate ELN Ceasefire
Both sides of the negotiations must address three key topics for peace efforts to go forward.
Five Challenges Facing Iván Duque at His Presidency’s Halfway Point
Two years into his government, Duque is under pressure on all sides. How he reacts could shape his legacy.
Interview: Ingrid Betancourt on Colombia-FARC Peace
Since being held captive for six years by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), former senator and presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt has come to believe the nation’s best path forward is through peace negotiations between the rebel group and the government. So it is appropriate that themes of reconciliation, dialogue and forgiveness run throughout … Read more
A Skeptic’s View on the “Peace Dividend”
On July 20, 2010, President Juan Manuel Santos promised the 9 million voters who had just elected him to his first term that he would build on the foundation created “by a giant, our President Álvaro Uribe.”1 He declared that Colombia could now look to the future with hope, thanks to the multiple successes that … Read more
Post-Conflict Campesinos: Recovering Rural Colombia
Armed conflict and the presence of non-state armed actors harm both agricultural production and rural households’ well-being, for at least two broad reasons. First, conflict disrupts economic activities by hampering access to critical inputs and markets. As a result, producers may reduce or curtail planting or harvesting. Second, rural producers face an unpredictable environment for … Read more
