El Centro

No Way to Negotiate With Narcoterrorists by Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Wall Street Journal

A majority of Colombians this month voted to reject the government’s deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the Marxist narcoterrorist group better known as the FARC. The government used and abused all its powers in an effort to ensure victory, but millions of voters decided that the country would be better off without giving in to the rebels’ demands. All Colombians want peace. Any future deal, however, must address voters’ substantive concerns.

Colombia has long been Latin America’s most stable democracy, with popular rule for almost all of the past century. While the government’s battle against the FARC rebels is often described as a civil war, this conflict is not an uprising against an oppressive regime. Rather, it is a struggle that has pitted democratic governments against persistent terrorist threats to the rule of law. Recall that FARC is also a prolific cocaine cartel.

When I was president of Colombia between 2002 and 2010, we implemented an aggressive security policy to crack down on narcoterrorism. It was aimed at protecting citizens’ freedom and rights, as well as promoting investor confidence and strengthening the bonds of social cohesion across the nation. While still far from a paradise, Colombia in 2010 was a safer country with a rapidly growing economy…

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Narcoterrorism and Impunity in the Americas: A Small Wars Journal-ElCentro Anthology, Robert J. Bunker and John P. Sullivan, Editors, 488 pages.

This work is our fifth Small Wars Journal--El Centro anthology, covering writings first published in 2015. The themes of this anthology are focused on narcoterrorism--that is, terrorist acts carried out to further illicit narcotics trafficking pursuits--as well as impunity--which refers to the fact that gangs and cartels can carry out torture killings and other terrorist acts with little fear of governmental prosecution. The cover image of the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) gunmen highlights the rise of a powerful new Mexican cartel which embodies this anthology's themes.  Dave Dilegge, SWJ Editor-in- Chief

Narcoterrorism and Impunity in the Americas

Santa Muerte: The Enigmatic Allure of the Beautiful Girl by David Metcalfe, The Revealer, New York University

With an iconography drawn from the 14^th century plague fields of Europe, where she walked behind the name La Parca, and with an ever growing number of devotees drawn from societies marginalized and dispossessed, la Nina Bonita, the Beautiful Girl, has become one of the fastest growing spiritual powers in the 21^st century. To some she is known as la Poderosa Señora, the Powerful Lady, an untiring miracle worker and healer helping them to escape the ravages of poverty, sickness, violence and addiction that have become hallmarks of our time. To others, she is Nuestra Señora de las Sombras, Our Lady of the Shadows, an amoral and unflinching companion in their choice to pursue profits and power in the bloody worlds of drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, and murder. For those tied to orthodox religious groups and judiciary organizations she is a satanic usurper, a dark and vicious deceiver leading her millions of devotees down the fast road to hell.

Who is this alluring, conflicted and mysterious woman? If you have been paying attention to the news you might know her by her most common name – la Santa Muerte, Saint Death.

One can find signs of her cult in the Americas from the earliest days of the colonial period, with Inquisition reports mentioning local groups dedicated to Saint Death. Her first 20^th century appearance in 1940’s anthropological reports show that Santa Muerte was largely sought out in issues of love, serving as a patroness of maligned wives and lovers seeking recompense from abusive or unfaithful men. Even today, her role as a love-magician still runs strong, and the red candles associated with Santa Muerte’s love magic remain top sellers in the spiritual supply market.

Like many cults, Santa Muerte’s tradition has never had a central or overarching organization to perpetuate her following.  It is this decentralized and amorphous persona that has allowed her to move through history, taking on the needs of the time for those who seek her favors. Her ability to serve in such varied roles – fostering devotion among mistreated wives alongside kidnappers, gunmen, narco-traffickers and other criminal groups – means that we must be very cautious when asking how and why people use her image…

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Colombia and FARC Announce Deal to End the Americas’ Longest War by Nicholas Casey, New York Times

Colombia’s government and the largest rebel group in the country have reached a deal to end more than 50 years of conflict, the two sides announced Wednesday, paving the way for an end to the longest running war in the Americas.

For four years, the Colombian government and the rebels have been locked in negotiations to end the conflict. Time and again, they have emerged from the negotiating table to assure a weary public that another impasse had been eliminated, another hurdle cleared.

This time, the two sides declared that a final deal had been clinched.

The agreement effectively marks the end of the last major guerrilla struggle in Latin America.

It outlines a timetable in which the rebels, known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, will abandon their arms. It also sets out a pathway in which former fighters will enter civilian life again — and in some cases, run for office…

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