Iwanowski Zbigniew Wladislavovich – ScD in Political Sciences, Full Professor, Chief Researcher, Institute of Latin America of RAS; Editor-in-Chief, Iberoamérica journal; Full Professor, Department of Global Studies, M. Lomonosov Moscow State University
This article examines the causes of the emergence of left-wing radical organizations and movements in Colombia, their participation in the internal armed conflict, the evolution and current state of the guerrilla movement, the efforts of various governments to strengthen national security, and the development of the situation in the post-conflict period. For more than six decades, the main subjects of the conflict have been military-political organizations declaring commitment to various currents of Marxism-Leninism, and to this day, the Guevarist National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissidents from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), genetically linked to the Communist Party, are active. Depending on their political beliefs and the balance of power, the governments either used force to suppress the guerrilla movement or went to peace negotiations. The most significant event was the peace agreements of 2016, contributed to the demobilization of the main contingent of the FARC, easing the conflict, and reducing the level of violence. During the post-conflict period, due to political polarization and the unresolved nature of the most pressing social problems, it was not possible to achieve a total peace; former militants have resumed armed struggle or joined the ranks of organized crime; there are also problems with guarantees of security for demobilized guerrillas. The author concludes that the armed conflict cannot be eliminated by force without resolving the pressing social problems, and despite the failure of the government's negotiations with left-wing radical organizations, there remains the possibility of starting dialogue to achieve a total peace; however, this process is unlikely to be easy.
Colombia, left-wing radicalism, guerrilla warfare, internal armed conflict, terrorism, drug trafficking, security, peace process, comprehensive peace.
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