Tag Archives: farc
Narcoterrorism: The Other World Terror
Posted on 16. Dec, 2011 by Colin.
SUMMARY: An overview on narcoterrorism and it’s lack of awareness in the developed world.
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Understanding Uribismo
Posted on 12. Dec, 2011 by Colin.
SUMMARY: Explaining the politically incorrect definition of “uribismo,” as it was explained to me by a proud uribista.
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Plan Colombia: An Overview
Posted on 11. Oct, 2011 by Colin.
SUMMARY: Brief overview of Plan Colombia, the US-funded strategy to stabilize the country.
Plan Colombia was largely the brainchild of former Colombian president Andres Pastrana. The US has had a huge presence assisting Colombia since before Pablo Escobar, but Pastrana wanted to drastically increase the participation.
From the US embassy’s Plan Colombia page: Read more
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My Ugly American Rant
Posted on 07. Oct, 2011 by Colin.
SUMMARY: Why the United States of America and our influence is good for the world.
Alternate Title: Monroe Doctrine was Good for Latin America
Alternate Title: The Case for American Influence
I’m an ugly American, maybe the ugliest you know. I meet all the stereotypes international snobs complain about. And I don’t care … Read more
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Contributed Story: Two Maids I’ve Had in Cali
Posted on 30. Aug, 2011 by Colin.
SUMMARY: Story of two women from a rural Cauca torn apart by violence.
Aged in her 50’s, Maria Paloma was every bit the indigenous Colombian Indian. She was tiny, with dark, straight hair, high, defined cheek-bones and two small beady black eyes. She was also my first ever “maid” … Read more
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FARC, Guerrillas, and Paramilitaries in Colombia
Posted on 13. May, 2010 by Colin.
SUMMARY: Brief history written by Michael Reid’s Forgotten Continent on the armed conflict in Colombia involving FARC, ELN, paramilitaries, and of course the Colombian state.
Democratic security in Colombia
At first glance, San Vicente del Caguán looked like any other small cattle town on the fringes of the Amazon basin. On its stiflingly hot, bustling streets, lined with half-finished houses of concrete and brick, Japanese pick-ups and motorbikes jostled with horse-drawn carts. From early afternoon, Mexican rancheras blared out from the loudspeakers of the numerous brothels. What made San Vicente unusual in 2001 was the presence in the main square of a small office of the FARC – the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the largest and longest-lasting leftist guerrilla army in Latin America. For three years, the government of Andrés Pastrana allowed the FARC to control a Switzerland-sized swathe of mountains, jungle and grassland around San Vicente. The FARC had demanded this ‘demilitarised zone’ as a condition for getting peace talks going. But the talks made little progress. The FARC used them for propaganda purposes. They held public hearings on how to reduce unemployment, while carrying on their war with increasing savagery. … Read more
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Security and Militarization in Colombia
Posted on 22. Feb, 2010 by Colin.
SUMMARY: I discuss the security and militarization climate in Colombia.
Public security and militarization are something to get used to in Colombia. I haven’t seen anything like it, but I’ve heard Mexico’s similar. You become accustomed to seeing guns everywhere you go. All kinds of guns: revolvers, shotguns, assault rifles … Read more
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Why I’m Bullish on Colombia
Posted on 10. Feb, 2010 by Colin.
SUMMARY: Why I believe Colombia will emerge to be a dynamic economy and one of the most influential countries in Latin America.
Globalization got a bad rep in America and industrialized economies because it moved jobs to countries with lower costs of labor. Developing countries, on the other hand, saw the emergence of a middle class. Goldman Sachs coined the term BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) for those countries that could eclipse traditionally rich countries. Then they identified the CIVETS countries to join the economic ranks of the BRIC (‘C’ for Colombia). GDP growth in emerging markets, sometimes upward of 10%, is simply impossible to achieve in developed economies where 4% growth is considered rapid expansion… Read more
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My Juanes Post
Posted on 06. Oct, 2009 by Colin.
SUMMARY: I live in Colombia, and I blog, so I must blog about Medellin, Colombia paisa rocker Juanes, even though his music is poxy fucking shit.
Juanes is a Colombian musician who’s sold over ten million albums and won a record 17 Latin Grammy awards. He’s widely considered the most successful Latin musician of his generation. Is 2005 TIME Magazine selected Juanes as one of the 100 Most Influential People in 2005 … Read more
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A Little Background on The Mick
Posted on 30. Sep, 2009 by Colin.
SUMMARY: A slew of shorts about The Mick’s past, alcoholism, taste in women, slang, and stories from Bogota, Colombia.
The Mick and I have quickly become good friends. We have so much in common. If you could tweak my personality wiring to emphasize alcoholism and drug abuse over education and ambition, The Mick would be a spitting image of me in 20 years … Read more
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