Strategic Insights, Volume 5, Issue 2, February 2006. Uribe's Second Mandate, the War, and the Implications for Civil-Military Relations in Colombia; Journal article

摘要

The recent decision of the Colombian Constitutional Court that cleared the way for President Alvaro Uribe Velez to run for an unprecedented second term appeared to have realized the most profound desires of Colombians of a more conservative persuasion. Indeed, early indications are that Uribe, with an approval rating hovering well over fifty percent, will cruise effortlessly to an unprecedented, and hitherto unconstitutional, second mandate. However, hardly was the ink dry on the Constitutional Court's decision than hero of the hard line, take-no-prisoners strategy in the war against Colombia's insurgents appeared to reverse course and agree to negotiate with Colombia's two main insurgent groups. As recently as last summer, Colombian military officers were convinced that, under Uribe, their country had reached a historic turning point in its long and tumultuous conflict. Civil-military relations have stabilized under the leadership of a strong president who protects the military's core competencies from civilian encroachment. The restructuring and professionalization of Colombia's military, in the works since the 1990s, has transformed the once lethargic Colombian armed forces into an offensive-minded organization that appears to have the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), Colombia's primary insurgent group, on the run. At the same time, Uribe has successfully negotiated the disarmament of several fronts of the right-wing Autodefensas Unitas de Colombia (AUC). The military stands high in public esteem. Democratic Security, Uribe's aggressive strategy for reclaiming the countryside from the insurgents and paramilitaries, has increased investor confidence.