A-list
mailing list archive
[ Other Periods  | Other mailing lists  | Search  ]
Date:  [ Previous  | Next  ]      Thread:  [ Previous  | Next  ]      Index:  [ Author  | Date  | Thread  ]

[A-List] Part Two Colombia "False Positives, " U.S. - Bolivian Relations, Recent COHA Citations

Title: A Council on Hemispheric Affairs Press Release
A Council on Hemispheric Affairs Press Release

Research Memorandum: Colombia’s Establishment and False Positives: The Case for and Against it

This second section of a two part article analyses the Colombian Government’s response to the â??false positivesâ?? scandal. It finds that while measures by the authorities appear to have been significant, it may be too early to say whether false positives will become a repulsive practice of the past or will live on in some distorting form. Meanwhile, the Government's complaints about â??false denunciationsâ?? are as of yet unsubstantiated, and not overtly convincing, nor do they reliably contribute to the resolution of the issue. Meanwhile, the victims’ families struggle on in the face of poverty, threats and sometimes slanderous accusations apparently aimed at tarnishing the posthumous reputation of their sons. Moreover, their only consistent defender, Personero of Soacha Fernando Escobar, finds himself fearing for his life after repeated threat s from mysterious groups, almost certainly linked to the far-right.

Government Response
The most significant government response to date has been the forced resignation of 27 senior military officers on October 30, an unprecedented act in the history of the armed forces. Some scholars, such as Michael Evans, believed this step to be insufficient as it did not have any legal implications for those involved. However, both CINEP and Fernando Escobar consider it to have been a move in the right direction, in the sense that it has sent a strong message throughout the army that false positives will not be acceptable. The legal aspect, they point out, is the responsibility of the Fiscalia, rather than of the Government. Liberal Senator José Manuel Galan has accused the Government of failing to cooperate sufficiently with the Fiscalia, a claim which it strenuously denied. To date, the Fiscalia has detained 426 soldiers in relation to the fa lse positive scandal, 49 arising in Soacha. Moreover, what transpired is being investigated by the United Nations, which has sent Philip Alston, the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, to Colombia to compile a report on the issue.

For full article click here

This analysis was prepared by

U.S.-Bolivian Relations: Halting an Avalanche

Since the inauguration of President Evo Morales in 2005, relations between Bolivia and the United States have taken an unprecedented, although sometime episodic, turn for the worse. Issue after issue in which the countries are engaged has ended up as being abrasive, including trade, development, and coca regulation. Most of the public disagreements have begun on Bolivia’s side with criticisms of Washington’s policies, which La Paz is convin ced are aimed at trying to undermine the Morales government and to impugn the sovereignty of the Bolivian state. Washington has routinely dismissed these charges as being unfounded, leaving diplomatic progress to lie stagnant, if not worsen.

The Bush Administration’s attitude of back burning and patronizing in its Latin American policy was often deemed offensive and at times threatening to many of the hemisphere’s leaders. However, President Obama has vowed to set a new path of autonomy for Latin American diplomacy and already has begun to do so. Nevertheless, in order to gain ground in its relations with Bolivia, Washington’s policy will have to focus on transparency in all aspects of its endeavors in order to ensure the Morales government is not being disrespected or that its sovereignty is being threatened.

For full article click here

This analysis was prepared by Research Associate William Mathis

Recent COHA Citations

A Sampling of Citations from the Period of July 13, 2008 to July 31, 2008:

  • The Boston Globe: The next tropical paradise?
  • The Guardian: â??We are fighting for our lives and our dignityâ??
  • The Drug War Chronicle: The Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy â?? More, Better Drug War?

    Monday, June 15, 2009 | Press release 09.173

    [ Other Periods  | Other mailing lists  | Search  ]