By Nas & Steph

Since Colombia gained its (1) independence from Spain in 1819, the country has been plagued by (2) economic inequality and weak governments (3) Civil war has mainly been fought between the Guerillas and the Paramilitaries, which are unofficial armies The armies have used the growth, processing, and distribution of the coca leaf (cocaine) to gain more wealth and membership starting in the 1980’s outhamr.colombia.php

The War of a Thousand Days was fought between the Liberal and Conservative parties to determine the amount of power that the central government should have After a short span of peace, a radical Liberal president was elected who passed reforms that angered the conservatives This new time of war was called La Violencia ws/southamerica/colombia/ /Mass- desertions-from-FARC-as-Colombia- government-seeks-to-end-conflict.html

During this time, peasants united in order to fight powerful landowners These peasants fought in guerilla- style warfare The Colombian army overpowered these peasants, leading them to flee their homes and form (4) independent republics Plan LASO (Latin American Security Operation) was used to try and crush the peasant groups These groups became dedicated to attacking the government and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) was formed rldnews/southamerica/colombia/ /Indigenous-Colombians- massacred-in-cocaine-region-by- Farc.html

The illegal drug trade has strengthened the FARC The FARC protects the drug lords in order to gain wealth and advanced military equipment The MAS (Muerte a Secuestadores a.k.a. “Death to Kidnappers”) was formed in order to protect the drug lords and their families from kidnapping /mind-and-brain/cocaine-rat-study /

Today, Colombia produces 80% of the world’s cocaine and 60% of the United States’ heroin Drug earnings remain a source of income for very few citizens The economy and (5) infrastructure is constantly challenged by illegal drug trading and violence The (6) unemployment rate is around 11% and (7) poverty remains a serious issue The FARC considers themselves (8) Marxist eViewer?em_id= &autologin=tru e&AddInterest=1101

The FARC has stated that they will cease their violence if the government addresses their grievances If the government fumigates the cropland for drugs, nothing will be able to grow and Colombia’s agriculture will be ruined Due to the FARC’s relationship with the drug lords, the group has better artillery and more money than the government, allowing them to continue fighting /worldnews/southamerica/venezu ela/ /Venezuelas-Hugo- Chavez-ends-support-of-Farc- rebels.html

Within the past month, the FARC leader Oliver Solarte was killed during an attack on rebel positions near the Colombia/Ecuador border Colombian President Santos said the death was an “important blow” to the group Hugo Chavez has also publically announced that Venezuela’s support of the FARC has ended In recent years, the FARC has lost about half its fighters and many of its top commanders (1)

Because the FARC is so unpredictable, many civilians have been hurt or killed Even if not physically attacked, Colombians are suffering due to damage inflicted on schools, roads, and sewage systems Coca farming is illegal, so the farmers use a “slash and burn” technique which pollutes the air Drug processing labs dump waste into the rivers and streams which people use for drinking water photo/shawnsmith/southamerica- 05/ /dscn0887.jpg/tpod.html

Coca farming and the destruction of these farms has ruined many rainforests, which contributes to global warming The independent armies in Colombia have formed ties with many international terrorist groups Many international citizens depend on Colombia for its drug production, making it extremely difficult for the government to stop the FARC ines05/ htm

At this point, there does not appear to be a certain solution to the problems in Colombia Without the drug trade, Colombia’s economy and infrastructure would likely collapse The only foreseeable solution would be for the Colombian government to kill or arrest all FARC troops– a feat that may prove to be impossible The government needs strengthening in order to overpower the drug lords -colombia-extradites-drug-boss-us-

This is a conflict that affects the growth and decline of the Colombian population It involves human decision-making in the face of regional and global conflicts This conflict heavily impacts the land and physical environment while also shaping the cultural environment The FARC conflict also impacts the government and the standard of living in Colombia channel.cfm?channelid=50&conte ntid=5173

1. BBC. (2011, February 11). Colombia's FARC rebels release two more hostages. Retrieved April 9, 2011, from world-latin-america BBC. (2011, March 15). Colombia FARC 'drug boss' Oliver Solarte killed. Retrieved April 8, 2011, from world-latin-america CNN. (2011, March 16). Colombia military kills FARC leader. Retrieved April 8, 2011, from colombia.farc_1_farc-leader-rebel-leader-drug-trafficking?_s=PM:WORLD 4. CultureGrams. (2011). Colombia. Retrieved April 10, 2011, from world_country.php?contid=7&wmn=South_America&cid=35&cn=Colombia 5. GlobalSecurity.org. (2011). Revolutionary armed forces of Colombia. Retrieved April 9, 2011, from farc.htm 6. World Conflicts Today. (n.d.). World Conflicts Today: Colombia. Retrieved April 10, 2011, from index.php?page_id=231&menu_id=231&page=landing