PeaceTalks Halted By Hostage Situation

On November 18 it was announced that the FARC, being unhappy with the Colombian government’s actions, had captured General Ruben Dario Alzate and two other soldiers. This is the first time in the history of the conflict between the Colombian government and the FARC that a Colombian general has been kidnapped. The FARC is protesting saying that these kidnappings are “a legitimate act of war”. These actions taken out by the FARC have prompted the government to end this round of peace talks, and they will only continue when the prisoners have been released.

On Monday, President Juan Manuel Santos (pictured above) stated that “We must be clear: although we are currently negotiating in the middle of a conflict, the FARC have to understand that peace will not come from escalating violent actions and undermining trust”. Due to Santos’ decision, Colombian senators have had a lot to say. There is cross party call for a ceasefire to be enacted, and many are arguing that the peace talks will not continue until this happens. Others, such as Carlos Lozano of NGO Colombians for Peace, are arguing that the peace talks should continue on because the government had agreed to follow through on the negotiations even in the midst of war.

When looking at how the recent issues in the conflict between the FARC and the Colombian government relate globally, the idea of legitimate violence in relation to the state should be addressed. Max Weber’s definition of a state is a “human community that successfully claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory”. In the case of the Colombian state, they are using their legitimate use of physical force to assert their power over the FARC rebels. Over the past two years of the peace talks, the Colombian government still claimed their authority by continuing to The Colombian government does not hold a monopoly on violence, considering the recent actions by the FARC.

What could both a ceasefire and an ending to the peace talks bring for Colombia and its citizens? Excluding the obvious that the bilateral ceasefire would bring security to all those in the line of fire, agreement on one of the peace points relating to drug trafficking, would diminish the violent drug dealings. The FARC obtains most of its income from cocaine; the deals that were supposed to be proposed during the peace talks would increase the safety of the Colombians.

Colombia has had economic growth even during the conflict with the FARC; it has grown at a rate of 4% in the past decade. If the peace talks were to continue, peace would "strengthen formal employment, hasten poverty reduction and improve quality of life" (Buschschluter, 2014). Even though there are high hopes for the peace talks to continue, the Colombian government still has to go through the process of decreasing unemployment, as well as altering their economic practices for a post-conflict society.

With the FARC taking action to push the Colombian government to agree to a ceasefire, Colombians are hopeful that the issues will come to an end and the peace talks will continue.

AFP. (2014, November 22). FARC to free Colombian general, others next week: President. Retrieved November 23, 2014, from http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-farc-to-free-colombian-general-others-next-week-president-2014-11

Buschschluter, V. (2014, October 30). The price of peace in Colombia. Retrieved November 23, 2014, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-29693391

Colombia general 'released soon' (2014, November 19). Retrieved November 23, 2014, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-30124727

FARC confirms capture of Colombian general. (2014, November 19). Retrieved November 23, 2014, from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2014/11/farc-confirms-capture-colombian-general-201411181691199135.html

Mckenzie, V. (2014, November 19). Colombia divided over peace talks suspension - Colombia News | Colombia Reports. Retrieved November 23, 2014, from http://colombiareports.co/kidnapping/

Valdés, R., & Murphy, H. (2014, November 18). FARC Urges Continuation To Peace Talks After Confirming Army General's Kidnapping. Retrieved November 23, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/18/colombia-peace-talks-suspended-_n_6178784.html