A FARC Document Trove
Michael C. Moynihan | May 9, 2008, 4:43pm
It is now pretty clear that those laptops seized by the Colombian military in its cross-border raid on FARC commander Raul Reyes are genuine (I wrote previously about the killing of Reyes here). There was little doubt as to the authenticity of the captured files, as evidenced by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa's frantic attempts at explaining away evidence of his collaboration with FARC. But now the CIA and Interpol have also confirmed that the material is genuine, and the Wall Street Journal, in a detailed cover story, assesses the level of cooperation between the terror group and the government of Hugo Chavez and what this means for relations with Colombia and the United States:
The files that have been made public so far have largely confirmed Mr. Chávez's well-known sympathy for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. But a review by The Wall Street Journal of more than 100 new files from the computers suggests that Venezuela has broader and deeper ties to the FARC than previously known.
These documents indicate Venezuela appears to be making concrete offers to help arm the rebels, possibly with rocket-propelled grenades and ground-to-air missiles. The files suggest that Venezuela offered the FARC the use of one of its ports to receive arms shipments, and that Venezuela raised the prospect of drawing up a joint security plan with the FARC and sought basic training in guerrilla-warfare techniques.
Full story here.
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Carlos | May 9, 2008, 11:18pm | #
You people DO KNOW that the right wing death squads are a thing of the past? and that these right wing militias were the result of a complex military and political situation, 20 years ago?
It saddens me deeply that if it weren't for the murderous and genocidal acts of the AUC
the FARC would have been able to topple my government and turn Colombia into a failed state, like Somalia or Lebannon.
The right-wing militias are a thing of the past, and that's a detail that people abroad seem to miss when trashing my country.
The paramilitaries were a response to the lack of security provided from the state.
BACK THEN(1990s), the guerrilla had managed to gain an amazing amount of power and military strength, mainly achieved with the profits from the drug traffic. The Colombian military was weak and incapable of stopping the guerrillas from bombing innocent towns, kidnapping civilians and soldiers, and taking over provincial capitals(Like Mitu, on 1998).
Members of the Colombian Military had to choose between "two evils":
Supporting a landlord-backed paramilitary force formed by guerrilla victims, determined on keeping the status quo or being defeated by a marxist terrorist group determined on toppling the democratically elected government, controlling the drug traffic and leaded by sadistic madmen.(However, it soon became obvious that the paramilitaries were also lead by sadistic madmen)
Officially, both the AUC and the FARC were considered terrorist organizations, but privately some military units used the AUC to keep the guerrilla out of large sections of the country. AUC leaders acomplished this by ordering thousands of political killings in remote areas of the country.
When Uribe reached power in 2002, he turned things around. He modernized the army (using the resources from Plan Colombia), ordered huge offensives against both the AUC and the FARC, and sent them on the run. Uribe treats and denounces both like the thugs and killers they really are, and even better, he fights them without resorting to human rights violations.
Ordinary people like me suddenly regained the right to travel freely across most of the country, without fear of being kidnappped or assasined in the infamous "Pescas Milagrosas"
of the FARC.
After a long peace process, the AUC are now completely disbanded, its leaders are dead or in prison, and the Governemnt and military officials that supported them are now awaiting trial (A great number of congressmen are now awaiting trial for the parapolitics scandal, and people are already starting to prepare themselves for the Farc-politics scandal). Several splinter-groups are now closely tied with drug dealers, but the army has recently managed to kill or capture ALL of the most important non-guerrilla drug traffikers during the past year or so (Unlike Mexico, whose drug cartels are now staring to look like the powerful Medellin Cartel of the 80's).
Since his arrival, Alvaro Uribe has strengthen almost every single Colombian institution, from the law enforcement agencies to the judiciary branch.
His huge approval ratings are simply a consequence of this.
So stop blaming the entire Colombian people for the actions taken by opportunistic individuals in the past, specially when we are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
I'm sorry, but aren't you guys paying Iraqi insurgents to prevent Al Qaeda and Iran from turning Iraq into another Vietnam? The same insurgents that two years ago caused great pain and destruction, not only to Iraqi civilians, but your own forces?
Hypocrites...blaming us for the decisions of a few of our military leaders a decade ago when your top leadership is doing the exact thing right now(And with superb results,I might add).
Carlos | May 10, 2008, 12:32am | #
Legaling Drugs would be a horrible solution.
It would just create a new economical-political entity, with a strong influence and a private militia, all of this with it's strong legal defense.
The cartels aren't gonna destroy themselves just because what they sell just became legal.
The cartels are backed with a military arm, and that just won't go away.
They have an armed militia and deep economical power, THEY WILL USE THOSE MEANS TO RETAIN POWER IN COCA PRODUCTION SITES, WHILE KEEPING THE ARMY AT BAY. Monopolizing the market and granting the "Narcos" with enough power to influence the government to their liking.
Anything but the Hegemony of power in the State divides people's loyalties, creates chaos and effectibly diminishes government control.
No true democracy can survive under those conditions.
"Narcos" acting with impunity, while still imposing their law on the civilian population isn't a realistic solution, is a simplistic one.
There are also several other political and economic consequences, that would greatly hurt Colombian interests home and abroad.
No, no. The only realistic solution is to give the "cocaleros"(the peasants that grow coca) another product to grow.
If you eliminate their economical backing, every illegal organization soon dissapears.
