Conflict and Violence in Colombia
While escalating the National struggle in Colombia is
attracting increasing foreign interest and involvement, these complicated
relationships between drug trafficking, governmental upheaval, and the more
actors involved in this cultural conflict in Colombia are often absent from the
debate.
The scene outline offers a broad summary of the
relation between the largest Insurgent group in Colombia, the radical armed
forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC), and
illicit drug production and trafficking. In terms of arguments in Washington,
the “narcoguerrilla” concept is used to indicate that these insurgents are
great drug traffickers and The Counterinsurgency and counternarcotic processes
are one and the same.
As a matter of fact, the portrayal of the guerrillas
in the illegal drug industry and drug trafficking has developed over time and
remains mainly focused on the revenue of illegal crops. After 40 Years of
armed struggle, several futile attempts in peace negotiations, and the continual
drug trade, Colombia remains plagued by force. The quality of this struggle is
the consequence of the multiplicity of interests and actors involved, including
the government’s official strengths, Lefts-wing insurgents- these radical armed
forces of Colombia (FARC) and the often smaller human liberation army(ELN)- and
extreme-right force groups. While safety issues get ranked high on the public
governmental agenda, framed within the U.S-led world war on drugs and struggle
against terrorism, the human rights condition remains important.
In this environment, the movement has become a
multifaced topic as it embraces both legitimate and undocumented migration for
economical reasons, forced internal movement, and refugee movements.
For many years, Colombia was the country most affected
by violence in Latin America. The armed conflict in Colombia had political
origins, but it long ago morphed into something driven far more by the drug
trade than by ideology, engulfing the country in a swirl of criminal and insurgent
violence that made it one of the most dangerous country.
By Keily Valdivieso, Step 9
