tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719806121127589545.post211018863784866669..comments2023-10-09T05:02:03.356-04:00Comments on Demagogues and Dictators: A Momentous Decision for Colombian DemocracyDave Reidyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13930065654533089762noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719806121127589545.post-70576394067261291722010-03-01T06:37:06.000-05:002010-03-01T06:37:06.000-05:00If there were newly built country schools and hosp...If there were newly built country schools and hospitals where would FARC get their support? Uribe's connections to the drug cartels is well-known, though his Harvard/Oxford manner seems to have thrown sand in your eyes. Security first! Country schools later! Yeah, that's a new one--been there done that and didn't work! My God, is this the kind of intellectual the Fletcher school is churning out? If the president "states" it, it must be true? Let's hope the next generation of diplomats and leaders--as educated as they are--are a little less stupid than the present regime.homelesseusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719806121127589545.post-58181783203484777012010-03-01T01:44:15.000-05:002010-03-01T01:44:15.000-05:00Jaime,
Thank you for your comments. You make som...Jaime, <br /><br />Thank you for your comments. You make some excellent points and pose, I believe, some of the most essential questions facing the country. Colombia is at a critical crossroads and constructive conversations like these help to envision the best path forward. There is no easy answer to your questions, and the presidential candidates, as well as the Colombian people, will have to honestly wrestle with them. Clearly, an enlightened leader will be vital to sustain the delicate security progress we have seen and build a more inclusive society. In addition, I believe that by protecting and nourishing a truly inclusive, participatory and representative democracy, guided by a sense of common purpose and direction, we can more effectively solidify and broaden progress for all Colombians. I realize there is great ambition in these words, but I firmly believe that without open and frank debate, progress is elusive, unequal and unsustainable. <br /><br />I don't pretend to have any complete policy answers, but will propose some thoughts. I believe that we can develop a more comprehensive approach to deal simultaneously with closely interconnected security and development needs. Efforts to integrate IDPs to their new homes, addressing public health, education and employment needs, will go a long way to prevent urban crime, not to mention build healthier and stronger cities. Moreover, fortifying of the rural sector by ensuring that viable products can be sold to stable markets, will be crucial to eventually ending the armed conflict and containing the scourge of drug production in the country. Foreign investment can help fuel development, but I believe that a wholesome economic policy must be pragmatically driven by the objective of addressing these profound social needs, to ensure truly healthy growth and reduced incentives for violence. <br /><br />Finally, I need to emphasize my firm belief that greater socioeconomic focus cannot come at the expense of continued efforts to restrain political violence. This is not only because I still think that advances are fragile (as the President often states), but also because progress and improved living conditions for all demand stability. The last thing we need is newly-built country schools and hospitals blown up by a reinvigorated FARC, or micro-paramilitaries shedding blood and terrorizing communities. As with development, the objective of a security strategy must be to protect vulnerable communities and a safe space for commerce to flourish, not victory for its own sake. <br /><br />Again, I don't expect these comments to answer the crucial questions you have posed, but I hope we can continue contributing to a broad discussion on Colombia's future. Plus, what better place to move this discussion than The Fletcher School?David Schoeller-Diaznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719806121127589545.post-40004509444592837532010-02-28T21:45:08.000-05:002010-02-28T21:45:08.000-05:00Great points David, I too sighed with relief when ...Great points David, I too sighed with relief when I heard the news about the Court's decision. Not because of dislike for Uribe but rather for the preservation of a long-established democratic tradition. I sincerely hope this short period before the elections is sufficient to allow voters to make a wise choice. These elections have a tremendous geopolitical significance given the current polarization in the region. Domestically the nation is at a crossroads regarding its path to prosperity. Decisions always involve trade-offs; over the past 8 years the country has favored security over other pressing issues, and justifiably so I may say. However gains in security are short-lived without providing avenues for inclusion. Is the time ripe for a comprehensive social inclusion policy to have priority over “democratic security”? Which is the path of least resistance to a peaceful prosperous society? Emphasize on security and along will come prosperity and inclusion? or rather emphasize on inclusion, and along will come security and prosperity? These questions are intriguing and I’m definitely do not have the answer, either way a choice has to be made and I sure hope the next leader understands this better than I do.Jaime Correalnoreply@blogger.com