Democratic Governance and the Rule of Law: Lessons From Colombia
Gabriel Marcella
PKSOI Paper by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, US Army War College Press
"Colombia has experienced conflict for decades. In the 1990s it was a paradigm of the failing state, beset with all manner of troubles: terrorism, kidnapping, murder, drug trafficking, corruption, an economic downturn of major scope, general lawlessness, and brain drain. Today the country is much safer, and the agents of violence are clearly on the defensive. Nonetheless, much work lies ahead to secure the democratic system. Security and the rule of law are fundamental to the task."