Colombia: Conflict and Civil-Military Relations; Strategic Insights: v.2, issue 3 (March 2003)

Abstract

This article appeared in Strategic Insights (March 2003), v.2 no.3 ; One year after the formal end of the failed peace process which had been initiated by President Andres Pastrana in 1998, it is possible to take stock of the situation of conflict in Colombia and the prospects for the future. The government of President Alvaro Uribe, who took office on August 7, 2002, is seeking to end the conflict by fighting the terrorists to force them to negotiate. To reach this point required serious modifications in domestic and international politics. This document explains why ongoing changes in domestic politics, including in Colombian civil-military relations, are required to keep pursuing this strategy.