New Hopes for Negotiated Solutions in Colombia

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.