This report, “New Hopes for Negotiated Solutions in Colombia,” examines the status of current
peace initiatives in Colombia with the ELN and the FARC; assesses the paramilitary
demobilization process; and analyzes the role of local, national, and international third-party
actors in each of these processes. It draws from a series of conferences and events organized
by the U.S. Institute of Peace that dealt with these themes, as well as a visit by the author to
Colombia in June 2007 to participate in a week-long program sponsored by the Catholic Peacebuilding
Network and the Colombian Episcopal Conference/Caritas Colombia, among others.
The analysis has been updated to reflect developments on the ground through the end of
September 2007.