As a Colombian, living in the
Most of these problems gradually started to change with President Uribe's democratic security. Nearly all violence measurements have gone down as prosperity and progress generated a momentum not seen in decades. Murders, massacres, kidnappings, etc all were reduced drastically. In addition, an imperfect but unprecedented demobilization of the paramilitaries took place, taking thousand of dangerous men off the conflict. Even though there are clear signs that some of these groups are reemerging, a substantial part of their financial and political support has been wiped out. Equally important, the mystified FARC was wounded like never seem before. The utopia of a
Therefore, to see the candidates that will lead this country utilize
The approval of Free Trade Agreement presents a great opportunity to give continuity to these set of accomplishments. Although the benefits of trade must not be overstated, it is clear that its implementation will be translated into economic prosperity for a country where there is still way too many incentives for informality and illegal activities. Moreover, it is essential to move away from military assistance to economic partnership, as the latter one will reflect the current ground realities, creating markets in the rural sector for a hungry world. The US-Colombia strategic alliance deserves partial credit for the current state of the country and Colombians are very grateful for it. Consequently, it is imperative for the democrats to give continuity to the bipartisan set of policies started by President Clinton in regards to
PS. That is not to say that bilateral trade agreements are the best way to go about trade. Read THIS report by the Brookings institution about the subject.
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