5 May 2008
I
returned from France at around midnight last night. It was a nice trip and I
was able to see an abundance of things. The focus was on Normandy. We tried to
emphasize the entire region as opposed to one specific area of interest like
the Second World War or food and drink.
We
visited several museums and monuments. The two most memorable visits were
Pointe du Hoc and the Bayeux Tapestry. Pointe du Hoc put me back to the 6th
of June 1944. Looking down from top of the jagged cliffs while surrounded by
the remnants of German artillery made visualizing the US Rangers scale the
rough ledges on rope ladders only to be met by the all-powerful German
artillery an easy leap of the imagination
The
Bayeux Tapestry is a rather simple piece by today’s standards. It is actually
embroidery and its length is 70 metres with a height of 50 centimetres. Telling
the entire story of William the Conqueror’s 1066 AD quest to occupy England by
lance and sword, it is no small accomplishment for its time (circa 12th
century).
We
did a number of other things. These included a visit to a cheese factory, the
Cemetery at Omaha Beach, and a visit to a family run Calvados factory. The trip
was fun, educational, and relaxing-everything that a trip should be. I will
post some pictures in the photo section of the website by tomorrow and will
also return to some commentary on the Colombian conflict.
Have
a great week,
-Pat
30 April 2008
International
Crisis Group (ICG) released Latin America Briefing No. 17 yesterday. I will
touch on some key points on the document while offering a bit of my own
analysis on some of the matters.
Chavez
seems to be quite important in the implementation of a political solution with
the FARC. However, information found on the laptop of deceased FARC leader Raul
Reyes after the attack on his camp on the Ecuador side of the Colombian-Ecuador
border on 1 March points to direct support of the FARC from the Chavez
administration. It is worth noting that this link has not been verified but
many seem to think it is more true than not.
Indeed,
using Chavez as a liaison poses many challenges but he has been successful in
negotiating the release of hostages in the past. It seems that the French are
very insistent on his involvement in attaining a release of Ingrid Betancourt
(a high-profile FARC hostage with dual French-Colombian citizenship). Uribe
opposes Chavez’ involvement based on the information found Reyes laptop
however. In mid-May the allegations will be formally verified or refuted.
All
the while this is going on, with the death of Reyes and another FARC leader,
the group is experiencing internal weaknesses. This could lead to two outcomes:
1) the FARC implodes as a result of lack of leadership and internal turmoil; 2)
they adapt and become militarily stronger.
If
the first happens then it is likely that FARC members will disintegrate only to
form small splinter groups exploiting coca opportunities and adding to the
confusion already being experienced as a result of the ‘demobilized’
paramilitary’s many new illegal armed groups (see ICG Latin American No. 20 for
more on new armed groups).
The
second would imply more of the same of what is already going on with the FARC,
but with increases in violence highly likely. This is my own opinion but I think
this to be the better circumstance. If this were to occur it is likely that
violence would eventually settle down after a time of regrouping. Adding to
this, a cohesive FARC is indeed easier to fight and/or negotiate with than
multiple splinter groups. The FARC staying together is surely in the interests
of the Colombian government until a political solution is reached.
I
agree with Crisis Group that Uribe’s military force is beginning to bear some
fruit. I also agree that military force needs to be matched political action on
part of the Uribe administration. All the while Uribe must step up his very
poor human rights record.
-------------------------------------------------
I
will be in France for four days so blog entries may be thin. Here is the link
to the new ICG Latin America Briefing if anyone is interested:
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=5410&l=1
Take
Care,
-Pat
29 April 2008
Adam
at the Center for International Policy’s Colombia Project has posted new blog
entries for the 28th and 29th of April. These are some of
the most interesting two entries he has posted since being on the ground
throughout Colombia for the past couple of months.
The
28 April entry includes several photos of IDP’s from deep in the jungles of the
Guaviare department. They are an indigenous group by the name of Nukak Makú.
Conditions that they are living under are nothing short of loathsome.
Today’s
entry illuminates some of the recent intelligence on the drug-trade. Signs
point to the increased involvement of Venezuela. The implications that this has
on the hostage crisis are yet to be seen.
Only
two days ago it seemed that we took a step forward with Chavez and Venezuela
upon Governor Richardson’s visit to Caracas. It looks like a classic case of
one step forward and another step back.
Here
is the link to Adam’s blog http://www.cipcol.org/
Best,
-Pat
