In an election in May, Alvaro Uribe will seek a second four-year term as Colombia's president. His claim is a simple one: his tough security policies have transformed the mood of a country racked by the violence of three illegal armies, and made it safer. Many Colombians seem to agree: Mr Uribe's approval rating in the opinion polls stands at 70%. They suggest he may win 55% of the vote in the election. Yet progress in Colombia is never easy. As the year began, Mr Uribe's government faced a setback on one front, disappointments on another, and a small breakthrough on a third. The setback was inflicted by the guerrillas of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). On December 27th, some 300 of them killed 29 soldiers in the group's deadliest attack since Mr Uribe came to power. The soldiers had been guarding workmen eradicating coca—the raw material for cocaine—in La Macarena, a national park.
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