Transcript 2007 Presidential 2nd round

COLOMBIA
ECONOMY
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The current administration has highlighted five "locomotives" to stimulate economic
growth:
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Extractive industries
Agriculture
Infrastructure
Housing
Innovation.
Colombia is third largest exporter of oil to the United States.
The current administration introduced legislation to better distribute extractive
industry royalties and compensate Colombians who lost their land due to decades of
violence.
INVESTMENT AND WEALTH
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Foreign direct investment reached a record $10 billion in 2008, but dropped to $7.2
billion in 2009, before beginning to recover in 2010, notably in the oil sector
It also has a highly stratified society where the rich families of Spanish descent have
benefited from this wealth to a far greater degree than the majority, mixed-race
population.
VIOLENCE BEGINS
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1946, a period of insurrection broke out after the assassination of the liberal presidential
candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán . It is referred to as La Violencia and claimed hundreds of
thousands of lives by 1958.
Leaders during this time of crisis were:
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Laureano Gómez (1950–1953)
Gen. Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (1953–1956)
Military junta (1956–1957)
MARXIST INSURGENCY
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Marxist guerrilla groups organized in the 1960s and 1970s,
 May 19th Movement (M-19)
 National Liberation Army (ELN)
 Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
These groups plunged the country into violence and instability.
THE CARTELS DOMINATE
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In the 1970s and 1980s, Colombia became
one of the centers for drug production and
trafficking and the Medellin and Cali cartels
virtually controlled the country.
AUC AND THE RIGHT
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In the 1990s, numerous right-wing paramilitary groups also formed, made up of drug
traffickers and landowners. The umbrella group for these paramilitaries is the United
Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC).
FAILURE TO CONTROL
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Belisario Betancur, a Conservative who
assumed the presidency in 1982,
unsuccessfully attempted to stem the violence.
DANGEROUS NATION
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Colombia became a public battleground with bombs, killings, and kidnappings.
By 1989, homicide had become the leading cause of death in the nation.
GAVIRIA TRIES TO BREAK THE CARTELS
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Elected president in 1990, César Gaviria proposed lenient punishment in exchange
for surrender by the leading drug dealers.
Under his administration Pablo Escobar was shot and killed
SAMPER, CORRUPTION, AND DRUGS
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Ernesto Samper became president in 1994.
he was accused of accepting campaign contributions from the Cali cartel, but the House of Representatives
absolved him of the charges.
Nonetheless his relationship with the U.S. had been compromised
PASTRANA FAILS TO CLEAN UP
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Andrés Pastrana was elected president in 1998, pledging to clean up corruption.
His negotiations with FARC and ELN culminated in the grant of a demilitarized safe haven for the guerrillas
but Pastrana backed out of the deal at the last minute.
Critics accused him of possibly accepting bribes from leading FARC and ELN members,
His administration proposed and initially oversaw the implementation of the Plan Colombia aid package and
anti-drug strategy.
VIOLENT AS EVER
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In Dec. 1999, the Colombian military announced that 2,787 people were kidnapped that year—
the largest number in the world
The murder rate soared in 1999, with some 23,000 people reported killed
The violence has created more than 100,000 refugees, while 2 million Colombians have fled
the country in recent years.
PLAN COLOMBIA BEGINS
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In Aug. 2000, the U.S. government approved “Plan Colombia,” pledging $1.3 billion to fight
drug trafficking.
In Aug. 2001, Pastrana expanded the rights of the military in dealing with rebels.
URIBE WINS
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Alvaro Uribe easily won the presidential election in 2002.
He pledged to get tough on the rebels and drug traffickers by increasing military spending
and seeking U.S. military cooperation.
Uribe increased Colombia's security forces with the help of U.S. special forces, launched
an aggressive campaign against the drug trade, and passed several economic reform
bills.
NO END IN SIGHT
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In May 2004, the UN announced that Colombia's 39-year-long drug war had created the worst
humanitarian crisis in the Western Hemisphere.
More than 2 million people have been forced to leave their homes and several Indian tribes are
close to extinction.
URIBE’S EARLY SUCCESSES
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During 2003 more than 16,000 suspected leftist
guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary vigilantes either
surrendered, were apprehended, or were killed.
Since 2003, the right-wing paramilitary group AUC has
been involved in peace talks with the government and
has demobilized 4,000 troops
Although the two other major armed groups, left-wing
FARC and ELN, continue to finance themselves through
kidnapping and drug trafficking, governmental efforts
have been successful in significantly reducing the
kidnapping rate.
ERADICATION AND SPRAYING
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By 2006, the United States had invested $4 billion into Plan Colombia
The program has eradicated more than a million acres of coca plants, Colombian drug
traffickers are still managing to supply 90% of the cocaine used in the U.S. the same
percentages supplied five years ago, when the program began.
In 2006, a U.S. government survey acknowledged that coca production in the country had in
fact increased by 26%, and that aerial spraying of the illegal crops—the primary strategy of Plan
Colombia—was failing.
URIBE REELECTED
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On May 28, 2006, President Uribe was reelected with 62% of the vote. Economic
growth and a reduction in paramilitary violence were believed to be responsible for
his landslide reelection.
FARC HOSTAGES
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In November 2007, the Colombian army captured FARC rebels who were carrying
videos, photographs, and letters of about 15 hostages
Hostages included three American military contractors and Ingrid Betancourt, former
Colombian presidential candidate.
RELATIONSHIP IN TROUBLE
Uribe withdrew his support of Hugo Chavez’s
attempts to negotiate with FARC and relations
soured
 Chavez subsequently withdrew the Venezuelan
ambassador to Colombia.
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CHAVEZ NEGOTIATES SOME RELEASE
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After much negotiation between Chavez and FARC, on January 10, 2008, FARC rebels freed
two hostages,
On February 28, 2008, FARC rebels released four more Colombian hostages
A WEEK OF CHAOS
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On March 1, 2008, Colombian forces crossed into Ecuadorean territory and killed FARC rebel leader, Raúl
Reyes, and 23 other rebels.
In response, Venezuela and Ecuador broke off diplomatic relations with Colombia and sent troops to the
Colombian borders
The OAS approved a resolution, which declared that the Colombian raid into Ecuador was a violation of
sovereignty.
On March 6, Nicaragua broke off diplomatic relations with Colombia to demonstrate unity with Ecuador.
On March 7, 2008, during a summit meeting the leaders of Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Nicaragua
ended their diplomatic dispute over Colombia's raid into Ecuador.
MORE HOSTAGES FREED
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On July 2, 2008, 15 more hostages, including three U.S. military contractors as well
as Ingrid Betancourt were freed by commandos who infiltrated FARC's leadership.
Four more FARC-held hostages were released in February 2009
SANTOS WINS IN 2010
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Former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos handily won the second round of
presidential elections in June 2010, taking 69% of the vote.
He promised to maintain the policies of former president Uribe, including the
campaign against FARC guerrillas and forging a close relationship with the
United States.
Santos was largely responsible for planning and carrying out the government's
successful assault on FARC.
END OF KIDNAPPING
In late February 2012, FARC announced an end
to its long time practice of kidnapping civilians
for financial gains.
 The announcement was made on FARC's
website. FARC, the chief rebel group in
Colombia, also said it would soon free the
remaining ten prisoners of war. The ten security
force members have been held in captivity for
14 years.
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CTPA
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On May 15, 2012, the United States-Colombia Trade
Promotion Agreement (CTPA) went into effect. Signed back
on November 22, 2006, the agreement was made to
eliminate tariffs and other trade barriers for goods and
services between Colombia and the United States. Both
countries worked together on resolving issues such as
sanitary barriers in agriculture, including safety inspection
procedures on certain food items. The agreement granted
duty-free treatment to farm products and a variety of foods.
Colombia should benefit from the deal considerably with at
least a ten percent increase to their exports, while creating
new jobs and economic growth.
ELECTION
MAY 2014 ELECTION:
 Santos- 25% VS Oscar Zuluaga 29%
 Runoff led to Santos Victory
 MAJOR ISSUE: Santos supports peace talks
with FARC AND Zuluaga does not
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VIDEOS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQDPztTsz
WQ
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_Ir1RuqdS
4
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gOzvSC4u
5I
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ARTICLES
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/15/world/a
mericas/colombia-halts-us-backed-spraying-ofillegal-coca-crops.html?ref=topics&_r=0
 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/world/a
mericas/colombia-attack-attributed-to-farcthreatens-peace-talks.html
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