The Chaos Continues

     [This posting went out today to all the members of WAIS (see homepage). The C.Span program described Luis Alberto Moreno as the Colombian Ambassador, but our records say it is Juan Carlos Esguerra. Has there been a change? Ronald Hilton.]
     Colombian TV brings us each day the harrowing story of a once proud country disintegrating because of ruthless guerrilla activity mostly by the FARC. The most valuable citizens are emigrating by the hundreds daily, primarily to the US. The grand tour of Europe by a FARC group seems to have achieved nothing; the violence continues. The counsel of despair is that only military force will restore order.
     Much talk about Colombia in the United States reveals that some Americans are living in a dream world. They talk about violations of human rights in Colombia as the work of government troops and allegedly allied paramilitares, which simply deflects the blame from the FARC. The Colombian Army has assured that it is doing its best to protect human rights, and there is little reason to disbelieve it. President Pastrana has asked the US not to tie the Plan Colombia to human rights, as many Americans demand.
     Colombian Ambassador to Washington, Luis Alberto Moreno, was interviewed this week. Unusually young for an ambassador, he remained calm in the face of questions most of which revealed ignorance or malice. Colombianos at Stanford have engaged in an interesting discussion of Colombian problems, stressing the importance of its oil reserves and the use of Indian tribes to prevent their development. That is part of the larger picture.

Ronald Hilton - 3/16/00