Colombia

A primer(with some emphasis

on foreign policy)

Daniel Gomez Gaviria

Geography

• Borders with Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador.

• Coast over the Pacific and the Caribbean.

Geography

• Fragmented territory.

• Poor infrastructure.• Deep jungles.

Weather

Regional diversity

Political structure

Politics

• Two main parties dominated most of the past century: liberal, conservative.

• National Front: alternation of power.• Constitutional assembly of 1991 and new

Constitution.• Now: fragmented parties, new parties, many

independents.

Economy

Recent History• Jorge Eliecer Gaitan,La Violencia (1950s)• El Frente Nacional (1958-1974)• The Guerrilla movements: FARC (1964),

ELN(1965), EPL(1967), M-19 (1974), Quintin Lame (1984).

• Import Substitution, Protectionism, smuggling routes (1960s).

• The Drug trade (1970s, mariguana; 1980s, cocaine)

• Paramilitaries, AUC(1990s)

Recent History 2• War on Drugs (1986-1994)• Constitution of 1991• Trade liberalization of the 1990s• Failed peace process (1998-2002) and Plan

Colombia. Colombia, a failed state?• Alvaro Uribe (2002-2006, 2006-2010, 2010-

2014?): many violence and economic indicators improve.

• Paramilitary scandal (2006-2007)

The Colombian Armed Conflict

Main Foreign Policy Challenges

• Human Rights; labor rights.• Relationship with Neighbors.• FTAs and diversification of trade partners.• War on Drugs, internal conflict and US military

Aid.• Domestic issues are tightly linked to foreign

relations.