Juan Manuel Santos: thorny path to the national reconciliation in Colombia

Abstract

The revolutionary situation in the vast majority of the Latin American states after World War II kept on existing, many countries of the region, including Colombia, not only were ruled, but owned by oligarchy. Everyone was aware of this situation, but the very idea that this won’t last forever, has served as a powerful driver of change. In addition, the deep conflict between a small group of chosen and broad masses back in those times in Latin America was impossible to be settled by the power of middle class, which in the Western Europe eliminated oligarchy without any means of excessive violence. The Radical left armed groups have intensified the guerrilla war, particularly it has become wide scale in Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua, Peru and El Salvador. To resolve long-standing political and military conflict that acquired exact features of the civil war between the government, Left-Radical guerrillas, drug traffickers and ultra right forces, the Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has chosen the thorny path of national reconciliation by holding negotiations with powerful insurgent organization that enjoyed considerable support of the poor, – The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP). The compromise agreements during 2012-2016 culminated in drawing a comprehensive peace accord, which can settle a pattern of most suitable and civilized settling the sharp military, political and social confrontation within the state.

Keywords

• colombia
• civil war
• conflict
• conservatism
• peace agreement
• the drug cartel