Columns & Blogs

An old university colleague writes in a newspaper and sends us his op-eds weekly to a group of his old classmates. 

Evil, that condition that doesn't usually have an adjective, has been given one in South America once the atrocities of the Argentine military dictatorship were uncovered.

Alejandro Reyes revived the land restitution debate: how to determine which land was voluntarily sold, despite having taken place in areas influenced by the armed conflict. 

In recent weeks there have been two interesting development in the movement to demand responsibility from economic actors that support serious human rights violations in contexts of conflict and repression, such as the case of Chiquita Brands’ support to Colombian paramilitaries, or Argentinean companies that financed and supported the military regime.

Following the hangover of the holidays, and for some, the celebration of coming into office, today they wake up with tasks at hand those who for the next four years will lead the destinies of the country at the regional level. 

My person of the year is Fabiola Lalinde.

The economic model for rural development proposed by the Government and approved this month by Congress favors the concentration of land use by large investors.

Human Rights Watch's critiques of the Peace Special Jurisdiction (JEP) agreed upon by the FARC and the Goverment are important and should be debated. However, it is an unacceptable exaggeration to conclude that the agreement is a pact of impunity, as its spokesperson José Miguel Vivanco said.

This week, with President Santos' announcement about the characteristics of the special jurisdiction that would apply to civilians and members of the armed forces charged with crimes related to the armed conflict, it completed the puzzle of justice for peace.

The ban on sharing property in the first two years of a free union seems to be the result of religious influence on the Constitutional Court.

Despite the foreseeable criticism it has received, the agreement about justice and victims that was reached this week in Habana is a gigantic step in the path to achieving peace in Colombia. Why?