“Yes, it’s about race”
Those were the words uttered by the mayor of Dallas, Mike Rawlings, during the vigil held after five police officers were shot to death by an armed man during a peaceful protest of the Black Lives Matter movement, which was organized after two African American men were killed by police. Well, let’s talk about race.
Read MoreEndorsement, abstention and blank ballot
A critique to the so-called “plebiscite for peace” is that it replaced the “participation threshold” (UP) for an “approval threshold” (UA), which deprives abstention from having legal effects. The latter would be anti-democratic and would violate the right to “active abstention,” which the Constitutional Court has recognized in citizen participation mechanisms such as referendums, plebiscites or consultations.
Read MoreBlank ballot and endorsement
José Manuel Acevedo proposed, in his most recent column, that the Constitutional Court signal that in the “plebiscite for peace” (which, in reality, is closer to a people’s consultation) voters are allowed to cast blank ballots.
Read MoreFive years of land restitution
While public attention has been focused on recent announcements about the peace process, the fact that the Victims’ Law just reached five years of existence has gone almost unnoticed.
Read MoreMulticulturalism, for what?
However, before responding, I had a second thought, and images of indigenous peoples mobilizing to vindicate their right to prior consultation, and the happiness of an Afro-descendant community when it received its collective land title.
Read MoreTwo steps against corruption at the Office of the Prosecutor
Sixteen ministers and Vice President Vargas Lleras have already made public their assets and income. The whole Cabinet accepted an invitation by President Santos’s and by a Transparency for Colombia campaign to disclose the income of public officials.
Read MoreThe Conundrum of Political Humor
The crime against comedian Jaime Garzón has been solved. This was what the prosecutor managed to say recently. Maybe it’s my own ignorance, but I don’t think any light has been shed on the death of political humor in Colombia
Read MoreBody Politics: Governing Women’s Bodies
Women’s bodies are a battleground for the meanings vested in them, and for the social and cultural resources expected to be obtained by intervening on them. Two modes of intervention on the body show this, and pose particular risks for girls: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and plastic surgery.
Read MoreAfter conflict, forgiveness will not be the most important: lessons from Sierra Leone
I attended a two-week international workshop on post-conflict politics that brought together over 150 people from war-torn countries. Most of them came from places with civil wars like Colombia, while others were from countries involved in large external wars with serious internal repercussions. There were people from Liberia, Mali, Sri Lanka, India, Egypt, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Mexico, Yemen, and Nepal. All their stories are striking, interesting, and share similarities with the Colombian case.
Read MoreA Constitutional Peace and a Constitution During Peace
Both a plebiscite and an act of the legislature are part of a normative system, and they must be interpreted together, not in a disjointed way.
Read MoreRevoking the Removal from Office
Unless a “tutela” writ or an interim measure by the Inter-American Commission overturn the effects of his decision, the Inspector General is likely to affirm Mayor Petro’s removal from office.
Read MorePersonalizad Internet
There’s nothing wrong with the internet knowing (or thinking it knows) our preferences and interests.
Read MoreThe Year of Hope for Peace
For those of us who were born in the 80’s, hope is almost an unknown feeling. We know that it is like an abstract idea, since we hear it from the mouth of leaders who fought against the violence. But back then the idea was not only never put in practice, it was also used to aggressively repress those who dared proclaim it.
Read MoreShopping in Bogotá
For this new year of 2014, I decided to leave behind my usual cheapness. On Christmas Eve, keeping in mind that the traditional wishes for peace and harmony never come true, my wishes took a radical turn.
Read MoreThe Struggle for the Law
The objective of law is to bring peace, but the way to get there is through struggle.
Read MoreDaydreaming
At this point, with a few hours left until it is time for the traditional grapes and apple cider, the risk-takers have made all the political predictions for next year. Some have already re-elected Santos, other have reached a peace agreement, elected a new Congress and formed parliamentary coalitions.
Read MoreRural Development that Favor Whom?
The rural development model proposed by the National Government, far from facilitating the “democratization” of the land, promotes its concentration and use in favor of large investors.
Read MoreJustice and State Legitimacy
In “The City of God”, San Agustin tells the story of how Alejandro Magno captured a pirate and asked him why he robbed in the seas.
Read MoreKirchner’s “nac&pop” project
Cristina Kirchner’s government illustrates the risks that populism has for democracy without offering any of its advantage in exchange.
Read MoreSearching for the Leader of the Year
2013 is ending. It is time to recap the year´s events. Media organizations are making their lists of the best and worst of the year in opinion pieces and articles.
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