Colombia: The Other Iraq

Archives

January5, 2007: Murders in 2006 (17,206) were down three percent from 2005. That's a twenty year low. Kidnappings (200), were down 39 percent from the previous year. However, the murder rate is one of the highest in the world (43 per 100,000 population.) Iraq's murder rate last year was 51, but got a lot more coverage in the media. That's because the carnage in Colombia has been going on for decades, and long since ceased to be "news." The murder rate in the United States last year was 4.8.

January 1, 2007: Over the weekend, FARC rebels made good threats against local officials in the northwest, and killed four of them. The war of terror continues in the countryside, and FARC isn't always the loser. With the AUC distracted by its amnesty deal with the government (and AUC officials attempts to silence witnesses willing to testify about AUC crimes), the war is now largely between the army and FARC. In most cases, FARC loses, as troops clear out base camps and set up shop in rural towns where FARC had long held sway. Now every exciting, but the way this war is fought.

December 30, 2006: Urban (the 13 largest cities) unemployment was down to 11.3 percent, versus 12.1 percent a year ago. Economic growth, especially in the cities, is one way to track who is winning the war in Colombia.

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close