Politics of Peace and the Influence of Polarization

            The situation of FARC is an important case in a way that it shows the consolidation is not completed when the peace is achieved. Inclusion of a notoriously aggressive armed organization into political life is an important development in the name of the democracy. There are many instances where people resort to violence because they are neglected from their democratic rights and they rationalize resorting to violence because it seems like the only way that they can be heard.

When evaluating the relationship between the FARC and the Colombian government there are important questions to ask. Does the collective memory forget the violent past? Does peace mean consolidation of democracy or are there other factors of consolidation and negotiating in order to end such deep polarizations?

In cases such as FARC, when the conflict has been going for a long time and creates deep polarization in the society which is hard to reverse. There are people who are assisting and rooting for FARC because they perceive FARC to be freedom fighters and an organization who is fighting for their rights whereas many people regard to be terrorist organization. The collective memory of the society does not easily forget what happened and it hard to convince everyone that certain groups should be represented, because like everybody they have certain rights.

There are other mechanisms which should be utilized in order for true, embraced inclusion. As an example, the peace deal was made but Karl [1]argues that Colombia’s legal institutions were less than capable of putting the process in check. In the case of Colombia, the institutions that are responsible of enhancing the democracy could not operate and instead these institutions put a hold on the developments. To put these in context there is a need to understand the history of FARC and the nature of the peace deal that was made.

FARC’s History

FARC is the acronym for the revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. They are a Marxist guerilla community and their initial purpose was to fight for the often neglected and omitted rural part of the society. FARC’s original mission was to pressure the government into its own dismissal. Their methodology to support their operations included kidnappings, illegal substance trading and black mailing. The organization had other political affiliations and success in the name of the leftist ideology but the often-expanding guerilla warfare, and the organizations activity in drug trade hurt its reputation. The situation of the organization became a polarizing factor for many years.

            The organization recently became a legitimized political actor by signing a peace deal in 2016 with the government. The name was switched to Revolutionary Alternative Common Force which translates into the same acronym. The part is now represented in the parliament and it possesses several seats. [2]

Peace Deal

As a part of the ongoing peace process FARC and the government inked the deal in order to achieve peace. The deal aimed to achieve comprehensive reforms, political inclusion, demobilizing the armed sector of the FARC, victim’s agreement which tried to compensate for the past members and finally mechanisms for verifications of the actions done. Until 2026, FARC is guaranteed at least 5 seats at the parliament as part of the negotiations which assists the initial years of the party. As a side note, there are ex members of FARC who did not agree to the terms of the deal and continue to act in the name of the organization.[3]

Polarization is one of the most dangerous obstacles in front of democratic process because it creates lasting cleavages in the society that are hard to reverse. A topic such as the re-inclusion of FARC in the political life will have a polarizing effect on the society. The historical differences between the elites of the country and people who disapprove FARC and those who support are less than likely to resolve the issue in the short term. It is the job of governmental organizations to turn the transition phase of FARC into a full established peace.

The government of Colombia better take preemptive measures in order to prevent a further fall out. The terms of the peace deal should be supervised and overseen by both local and international observers in order to provide a fully transparent and a healthy process. The government should provide safeguards for the newly established political arm of FARC to sustain the peace and democracy. FARC should be given the appropriate time to mature and develop into a conventional party. Also, the distinction between the rogue members of the FARC and the new should be made because if people still associate FARC with terrorist activities they would be less than likely to embrace the inclusion of the party. It is a serious responsibility of the media to make this distinction because it is the media who creates the perceptions for the people.

Overall, the peace deal and the re inclusion of FARC into political sphere is a huge win for democracy but it is important to emphasize that the process is far from over and is in a fragile state. Consolidation of peace and democracy can only be achieved by taking cautious steps to gradually dissolve the polarization that has torn the country apart for such a long time.

Bibliography

Mapping Militant Organizations. “Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.” Stanford

University. Last modified July 2019. https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/mappingmilitants/profiles/revolutionary-armed-forces-colombia-farc

Karl A. (2017) The Politics of Peace in Colombia, NACLA Report on the Americas, 49:4, 405-

407, DOI: 10.1080/10714839.2017.1409010

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[1] Karl A. (2017) The Politics of Peace in Colombia, NACLA Report on the Americas, 49:4, 405-

407, DOI: 10.1080/10714839.2017.1409010

[2] Mapping Militant Organizations. “Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.” Stanford

University. Last modified July 2019. https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/mappingmilitants/profiles/revolutionary-armed-forces-colombia-farc

[3] Mapping Militant Organizations. “Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.” Stanford

University. Last modified July 2019. https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/mappingmilitants/profiles/revolutionary-armed-forces-colombia-farc