Colombia has been a very unstable country for the past fifty years. Beginning in the
1960s Marxist guerilla groups formed. The two strongest groups called themselves the National
Liberation Army (ELN) and the other was the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC). Making things worse, in the 1970s drug trafficking became a huge problem for
Colombia. Drug cartels pretty much controlled the country starting in the mid-1970s. By the
1990s right-wing paramilitaries had formed. They were made mainly of drug traffickers and
landowners. The main paramilitary group called themselves the United Self Defense Forces of
Colombia (AUC).
Since the 1970s, Colombia has been home to some of the most violent and sophisticated
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Violence was an integral part of the operations of the Medellin syndicate from the start.
As the organization grew in size, power and wealth, it also grew in ruthlessness and violence.
After first establishing their dominance on the South American side of the market, in 1978 and
1979 the Medellin drug bosses turned their attention to control the wholesale distribution in the
United States.
"As the cartels consolidated control over a billion-dollar drug industry, their leaders
sought political power through legal and illegal means, all backed by violence" (Younger and
Rosin). "Several bought interests in local radio stations and newspapers. Others, like Pablo
Escobar, sought to create patron-client followings in the cities by handing out cash to the poor,
building low income housing in the slums or purchasing sports teams and constructing sports
stadiums. Lehder went as far as to create his own Latino Nationalist Party and to publicize his
hybrid political ideology through his newspaper" (Country Studies). In 1982 Escobar was
actually elected as an alternate congressman on a Liberal Party slate in his home department of
Antioquia. Pablo Escobar was incredibly violent and his quest for power within the Colombian government led to a stand-off between the cartel and the government. During the 1980s, the cartel revolted against the
Historically, Colombia has opposed the ELN and their attempts at gaining power within the country. However, there has been corruption by government and military officials. The corruption comes in the way of support for the ELN (Stanford, 2012). Regardless of the corruption, the Colombian government is currently making strides to begin peace talks with the ELN in 2014; however, no specific dates have been established. (Insight crime, n.d.).
Additionally, they provided low level social services to villages, including medical services and schooling. The group funded their efforts by kidnapping members of wealthy families and demanding ransom. By 1970, FARC militants were heavily involved in drug trafficking that enabled them to accumulate large amounts of wealth and weapons. In the early 1980s, the FARC and the Colombian government began peace talks with the goal of reaching a mutual agreement of disarmament of and a change in land reform policy in the
The large income distribution and long history of violence since 1980 has now increased more drug cartels have corrupted the law and the communist bad people have taken over a lot of the areas in the country. The land distribution led to large landless class Colombia have never had a government that supports when they distribute the land that they own. The struggle in the parties happened a lot since 1946 to 1964 that period made Colombia the most violent countries and people were scared to go because either they died or kidnapped them for money or for what they owed or anything they had or used. There was a conflict between the political parties but it was all going for power between Colombia leading families. In 1948 Jorge Eliezer leader was shot in the center of Bogota and probably killed, before joining the liberals he was a populist an had organized his own political party. During the civil war conservative and liberal parties more than 100,000 people were killed and the most destructive period was from 1948 to 1953 when 50,000 people were killed. In the mid-50s and mid 60s war took violence the protest against the abuse of the power of the conservation of congress and declared a state. Two of the most conservation buildings of most respected Liberal
The war on drugs in Latin America is no longer just about drugs. Now women cannot live in prosperity due to the current situation that has become a lifestyle in Latin America. Everyday women are picked off of the streets by these criminals. Most if not all of those women will never see their families again. They become property of the drug cartels and victims of violent gangs. The most famous gangs in Latin America are the Mara Salvatruchas 13, and Calle 18, which means 18th Street. While the most prominent drug cartels are Los Zetas, which started off as hit men, The Gulf Cartel, The Knights Templar, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and the Sinaloa cartel. The position of women in Latin America has no true value due to the strong cultural
When the government stepped in and started to enforce the active drug laws the violence increasing and dramatically increased. The cartels were not willing to lose all there profits due to the government.
Furthermore, Colombia’s drug trafficking history has hindered its path to development also. The largest cocaine smuggling cartels were the Medellin Cartel led by the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel ran by the Rodriguez Orejuela brothers and Santacruz Londono. Pablo Escobar was a very violent man that let success go to his head. His quest for power within government created a lot of violence between his cartel and the government (Frontline, n.d.). Escobar was tracked down and killed by the Colombian police then the Cali Cartel took over. They ran their smuggling business with finesse and professionalism. They hired lawyers to study DEA laws, they sold cocaine to government officials and police officers, and gave donations to government officials as well. The list of officials included former president Ernesto Samper ( Frontiline,
Historically, the relations between U.S and Colombia have been marked the foreign policy and the international trade. Nevertheless, the civil war in Colombia have shifted this relation. In Colombia, the establishment of The Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) during the 1960s created the beginning of an era of terrorist and drug trafficking. The FARC began forming in 1966 inspired by the Cuban Revolution with a left-wing nationalism and Marxism-Leninism. FARC’s actions trough the history has been involved with terrorist against of the population in Colombia. As well, thousands of peasant farmers that have been obligated to produce illicit drugs in their own properties controlled by the guerrillas. Nowadays, the FARC has been the largest and oldest insurgent group in the Americas. The FARC has been roundly criticized for initiating
In 1929, at the command of the banana organizations, around 1,000 striking banana laborers and their families were slaughtered by Colombian troops. The political shakiness that took after still torments the South American country today, and is partly to blame for the uncontrolled fear based oppression and drug related wrongdoing that makes Colombia such an unsafe place. Comparable events, with comparative outcomes, happened in Honduras, Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and different nations in Central and South America in the vicinity of 1900 and the 1970s.
Purpose: After listening to my speech, my audience will be able to discuss three major types of crime that Colombia is encountering. Introduction: Colombia has a long history of wicked political battling, including the semi common war of the 1940s and 1950s known as La Violencia, which set outfitted state armies of the Liberal and Conservative gatherings against one another and about decimated the nation. The violence never totally stopped. It was leftovers of the Liberal party civilian army that structured the first and most conspicuous guerrilla development, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in the 1960s. Also it was in response to the rekindled guerrilla danger, first from the FARC and afterward from the National Liberation Army (ELN), that the first illegal paramilitary groups establishments were initiated as additional units to the Colombian armed force.
The international drug trade from Latin American states is having an impact on a global scale. The trafficking of drugs along with corruptness and murder is an international conflict that is being fought daily. There are many aspects of the drug war from Mexico and other Latin American states which have effects on United States policy as well as policies from other countries that participate in the global suppression of illegal drugs.
Colombia is a Latin American country located in South America that has been ravaged by violence, starvation, and large-scale inequality between higher and lower classes. The chaos in Colombia has been between rebel forces and the government and has lasted for over fifty years. These rebel forces have fought to achieve their Liberalist lead goals of overthrowing the current democratic government of Colombia and replacing it with a communist government. La Violencia was the main contributor to the conflict between the resistance fighters of Colombia and the Colombian government that has brought on violence and terror from the violent actions between the Liberal and Conservative parties in the 1950’s. , which has directly brought on the violence and terror from the guerrilla groups.
Colombia’s infamous FARC (Las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarios de Colombia; translated to Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) has been engaged in armed conflict with Colombian National Forces, as well as other right-winged paramilitary factions, dating back to the early 1960s. Skirmishes between the two military and terror groups have resulted in the displacement of nearly five million residents and to the death of 215,000 civilians and soldiers. Tracing back the roots of FARC to the Colombian Communist Party (PCC) whom consisted of individuals who felted persecuted, neglected and targeted by the Colombian government. Those affected by the mistreatment have forced an uprising among the peasant population in-order to establish a rural governing
Throughout Colombia’s history there has been two very violent groups of people who do not like each other. This caused the War of Thousand Days and The Violence,
Pablo Emilio Escobar born on December 1, 1949, in Antioquia, Colombia, became Colombia's most known drug lord and narco-terrorism in the 80’s. Escobar joins the cocaine trade in the early 1970’s. Eventually, Escobar controlled over 80% of the cocaine being shipped to the U.S. Escobar became well known for sponsoring soccer clubs and charity projects but later on started to terrorize Colombia making people turn against him. Eventually being killed by the DEA and Colombian police on December 2, 1993.
The following essay examines the definitions of organized crime from the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Furthermore, the research examines how the two definitions relate to or are applicable to the Medellin Cartel of Columbia led by Pablo Escobar. In addition, this essay provides an analysis of Columbia’s social climate during Escobar’s reign and its contribution to his outlaw sense of social justice. Furthermore, this essay inspects the real Escobar against his self-image, how he signed his death warrant with the CIA/DEA and how his weaknesses were discovered then used against him resulting in the collapse of his organization and his expiration.