Following President Alvaro Uribe's reelection this past summer, Colombia's prospects for ending its fifty-years of civil war seemed a faint but growing prospect for the first time in years. The demobilization of over 30,000 paramilitary fighters of the "Auto-Defense Forces" (AUC) had led to dramatic declines in rates of crime and violence across the country.

However, domestic and international demands for greater accountability led to a confrontation between the government and the incarcerated paramilitary leaders. The government transferred many of these leaders from a voluntary and minimum-security, country-club-like confinement to a maximum-security prison. In response, these leaders called for exposing the long-standing collaboration and conspiracy between themselves and large numbers of prominent government officials. As well in October of last year police uncovered a laptop belonging to the imprisoned paramilitary leader known as "Jorge 40". The computer contained extensive evidence of close ties between the paramilitaries, drug lords, death squads and high ranking members of the President's own party.

At this event, Dr. Mauricio Romero will discuss the impact the current crisis is having on political stability in Colombia and on the paramilitary demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration. Maria McFarland will comment on the impact and implications of recent events for human rights conditions. Carl Meacham will discuss the impact of these events on U.S.-Colombian relations. Jonathan Morgenstein will moderate.

Speakers

• Dr. Mauricio Romero
  Professor of Political Science, Government and International Relations, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia; Commissioner, National Commission on Reparations and Reconciliation; and author of the book Paramilitares y Autodefensas, 1982-2003
• Maria McFarland
  Researcher on Colombia, Human Rights Watch, author of “Smoke and Mirrors: Colombia’s Demobilization of Paramilitary Groups"
• Carl E. Meacham
  Senior Professional Staff Member for Senator Richard Lugar, U. S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, (Republican Staff)
• Jonathan Morgenstein
  Program Officer, U.S. Institute of Peace

Archived Audio

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