Groups in Latin America try to declare war on "U.S.-American imperialism". Certainly there is nothing new about this. Already in the 1960s, the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), stated their social commitment towards society and discontent towards the government through violence. This article intends to give real solutions to the conflict that is taking place in Colombia by making use of the Complex Interdependence Theory suggested by professors Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye. Furthermore, it takes a new look at the problem by suggesting the FARC be granted a position in Colombian politics.

"Chavez has given armament and has permitted the guerilla to enter Venezuelan territory,hijacking and robbing the population there."

It is a decade-old conflict without any apparent solution so far. However, by making use of the Complex Interdependence theory the author will try to throw new light on an old conflict. The main question to be answered by this short analysis is: How to solve this conflict?

The answer to this is by creating a complex interdependence between the FARC and the Colombian society.

Historical overview

In order to better understand the conflict in Colombia it is necessary to take a brief look at the history of the country in the last couple of decades. This article does not intend to give an exhaustive historical background but does touch on the main happenings that led to the foundation of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

Colombia left military rule in 1958, when an agreement was reached in order to create the ‘National Front.’ This was a coalition of the two major Colombian parties consisting of Liberals and Conservatives, granting them the possibility of presidential alternation until 1974. This was established in order to leave behind the period known as ‘la violencia,’ in which these two parties were engaged in violence leaving around 200 000 casualties between the 1940s and 1950s, paving the way for military rule. Already in the 1960s under the government of the Conservative Guillermo León Valencia (1962-1966), social discontent and economic depression were hatching in Colombian society.

Under the liberal president Carlos Lleras Restrepo (1966-1970), unsuccessful reforms attempted to create coalitions of industrialists, workers and peasants against traditional landowners, while promoting a stronger interventionist state. ...more