Peacebuilding in Colombia: Context and Balance

Abstract

This is the translation into English of the introductory chapter to my book Construcción de paz en Colombia (Peacebuilding in Colombia), which was published in 2012. In this chapter I present some of the main elements of peacebuilding in Colombia against the context both of changes in international peacebuilding activity and in the dynamics of the decade-old Colombian armed conflict. Currently, government and guerrilla negotiators are debating the contents of a peace agreement that would bring an end to sixty years of political violence in Colombia. Against this background, this document provides hints of both the strengths and challenges the country will face in building lasting peace.