Peace Negotiations in Colombia

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September 4, 2012, a day that changed Colombians life. Once again Colombia faces a peace negotiation with the FARC, but this time everything is different from the past failed negotiations. First, these negotiations have an agenda and are being held in front of the whole world, giving reports constantly to the Colombians. Second, it is the first time in which both parts have a true will for peace and reconciliation; this can be seen in the fact that the FARC have accept they are offenders and not victims for the very first time. Third, the victims of the conflict are playing an important role in the negotiations and are being considered as an essential part of the process. Finally Colombia is witnessing true peace negotiations, but not everyone is in favor of this process, there are some people that not only disagree with the negotiations but are against them and want to stop them. Álvaro Uribe and his apprentice Oscar Iván Zuluga want to change the negotiations through the new presidential elections. Zuluaga is the candidate from the political party Centro Democrático, one of his politics is against the peace negotiations; he asks for surrender instead of negotiation. Peace negotiations need to succeed in Colombia, but this can only happen under realistic negotiating conditions.

The country needs the negotiations to succeed because there would be an important economic improvement. The victims of the conflict are not only the ones that are threatened by the FARC, there are victims of fear. Fear is a terrible friend everywhere, especially in economy; no one will invest in an insecure country. "The results of a survey made by the Universidad de los Andes in 2008 showed the effects of the conflict. The results showed that "three four...

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...s similar to the ones Colombia is facing today: “courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace,” Nelson Mandela.

Works Cited

Castillo V., María Pilar, and Giácomo Balbinotto. "LAS FARC Y LOS COSTOS DEL SECUESTRO" ["THE FARC AND THE COSTS OF KIDNAPPING"]. Revista de Economía Institucional 14.27 (2012): 147-64. Web.
Charria, Arturo. Personal interview. Nov. 2013.
"El precio de negociar la paz en medio del conflicto" ["The Price of Negotiating Peace in the Middle of the Conflict"]. Semana 2 May 2013: 1. Web.
Sáenz, Jorge. "Guerra interna impide creación de al menos un millón de empleos, revela estudio" ["War Impedes Creation of at Least One Million Jobs"]. El Espectador 19 Nov. 2013, Economía: n. pag. Web.
Zuluaga, Óscar Iván. "Por qué me opongo a las negociaciones" ["Why I am Against the Peace Negotiations"]. El Tiempo 28 Oct. 2012: n. pag. Web.

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