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The Ramifications of a Split in the Polo Democrático By the end of a meeting held last week by members of Colombia’s Polo Democrático Alternativo, it had become increasingly likely that the party was going to split into two separate entities at some point in the not too distant future, according to one party member. Many of the more moderate members, led by former Bogotá mayor Luis Eduardo “Lucho” Garzón, appear to be leaning towards abandoning the Polo and establishing a new party. The remaining, more leftist, members, including current party president Carlos Gaviria, would likely continue under the banner of the Polo Democrático. Such a split, were it to occur, could have serious ramifications, not only for the 2010 presidential and congressional elections, but also for the prospects for achieving peace in Colombia. Distorted Perceptions of Colombia’s Conflict In a civil conflict such as the one in Colombia, propaganda is an important weapon. It is difficult for journalists and analysts to independently investigate the reality on the ground and so statistics and information are obtained from a variety of sources in order to draw conclusions. However, the mainstream media in the United States is often over-reliant on two sources: Colombian and US government officials. Not surprisingly then, it is the perspectives of the Colombian and US governments that inevitably dominate most news reports. By comparing conflict trends and human rights statistics with media coverage of Colombia’s violence, it is possible to understand why and how the public’s perception of the conflict has been distorted. Colombia’s Economic Growth Fueled by Repression Over the past five years Colombia has achieved impressive economic
growth as foreign investment has increased dramatically. According
to most analysts, it is the policies of President Alvaro Uribe that
have created the Extradition of Paramilitary Leaders Undermines Para-Politics Investigation In the early hours of May 13, Colombian security forces transported 14 high-ranking paramilitary leaders from their prison cells to an aircraft that whisked them out of the country and to the United States. Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe had ordered that the paramilitary leaders be extradited to face drug trafficking charges in the United States because, as Interior Minister Carlos Holgumn stated, “In some cases they were still committing crimes and reorganizing criminal structures” from their prison cells. The paramilitary leaders were engaged in a demobilization process that called for them to confess their crimes in return for reduced jail sentences. In their testimonies, several paramilitary leaders revealed links between the right-wing militia organization and elected officials and multinational corporations. By extraditing the paramilitary leaders, President Uribe has ensured that they will do no further harm to himself and his political allies as he has effectively stymied future investigations into the so-called para-politics scandal. Recent Articles FARC Should Release All Civilian Hostages Propagandizing Human Rights in Colombia Bush Administration Fails to Acknowledge Existence of New Paramilitary Groups in Colombia The Significance of the Deaths of the FARC Leaders FARC Leader's Killing Sabotages Prisoner Exchange The Upside-Down World of Bush and Uribe: Slandering Chávez and the FARC Colombia Assassinates FARC Commander Raul Reyes The Bush Administration's Hollow Commitment to Colombian Democracy Oil and US Policy Toward Colombia Bush and Harper Ignore Colombia's Labor Rights Reality Uribe Didn't Want Prisoner Exchange Talks to Succeed Colombia's Elections Highlight Democratic Shortcomings Women and the Struggle for Social Change in Colombia Seven Years of Plan Colombia ... and Little Has Changed in Putumayo Reflections on Mining in Colombia: When "Development" Creates Deprivation For more articles, visit the Archive
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Updated: July 3, 2008
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security
conditions required by foreign companies to operate in the country.
A significant portion of Colombia’s economic growth has resulted
from investment in the country’s extractive sector, reflecting
the confidence of foreign investors in the capacity of the Colombian
military to safeguard their operations in the country’s rural
conflict zones. However, analysts who praise the Uribe government
for Colombia’s economic growth often ignore the fact that
the enhanced security provided by the Colombian military has been
achieved through an increase in human rights abuses perpetrated
against the rural population.
A photo journal of Colombia’s
civil conflict that includes 85 black and
white photos, 32 pages of accompanying text,
and an introduction by Garry Leech.