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The 2016 Peace Agreement in Columbia

On 24^th November, 2016, the Columbian government and the nation’s largest guerrilla organization, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), signed a historic peace deal, the general Agreement for the Termination of the Conflict and the Construction of a Stable Lasting Peace (Sedacca, 2019). From an analytical point of view, the supposed relationship between capitalist economic development and peace helps us understand the motivations for this peace agreement. History has it that the fall of the Berlin Wall accelerated or triggered peace processes in Central American countries. Political transition processes then had started from the initially dominant military dictatorship to democratic systems. The influence of the U.S. swung between democratic cause and active support during the Carter administration, a swinging that caused deep geopolitical transformations in Latin America. The ulterior purpose and backdrop of the centre-stage role of Latin America during the peace processes within Central America was to resolve all ideologically-founded armed wars/conflicts (Massé & Billon, 2018). It was assumed that once the conflicts of El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala were appeased, the effect of the success of these processes would open a peace process naturally in Columbia. However, as it is known, the conflict in Columbia continued and became increasingly deadly due to the rising overlap of its players with drug trafficking along with other unlawful economies.

Similarly, the relationship between peace and economic development is understood better since under the agreement, the Columbian government commits to come up with programs and address gross inequalities in the nation’s long-undermined rural sectors (Sedacca, 2019). The government also agrees to broaden the opportunities of political involvement to smaller political parties/movements (Massé & Billon, 2018). The FARC agrees to assist discourage and dismantle the business of business trafficking and crops that assisted sustain its war monetarily for the past thirty years (Massé & Billon, 2018). Additionally, the deal includes repatriations to victims along with setting up a transitional justice system for acts committed during the conflict (Sedacca, 2019). Members of FARC who ordered or committed atrocities but confess their criminal acts will not serve jail sentences, instead perform “community service” projects and repatriation acts.

Since the deal was largely aimed at bringing to end illegal business activities, involvement of Columbians in the activities of the country, and reduction or total elimination of inequalities, the relationship between peace and capitalist economic development assists us in understanding the motivations for the peace deal.