Colombia’s Uneasy Peace by Francisco Serrano - Foreign Policy
When Colombia’s government signed a peace deal with the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016, it was heralded as the beginning of a new era. Signed between then-President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño, known as Timochenko, the agreement was meant to put an end to one of the world’s longest conflicts, responsible, according to some estimates, for over 200,000 deaths, the displacement of 4 million people, and the disappearance of thousands.
These figures alone made a strong case for ending the 52-year-old conflict. But, at the time, some of the agreement’s staunchest defenders also made an economic case. By allowing the state to reclaim territory previously under the control of the guerrillas and increasing security there, the deal would channel investment into rural areas, improve access to government services for rural Colombians, and spur foreign investment…