FARC's peace negotiations and kidnapping practices in Colombia

¶ … Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the largest rebel group in Colombia, proclaiming that it would abandon its practice of kidnapping. In addition, the rebel group also declared that it would release the held prisoners of war, some of whom have been held for more than fourteen years. The author deals with the problem by delving into the root cause of the problem, taking a look into the past problems and the future prospects as well. The author comes to the conclusion that this might be history repeating itself as in the past; in the 1980s the group asserted that it would put an end to the kidnappings, but never actually did. However, the author does mention that President Santos might use this move in a bid to attain a second term in office (Brodzinsky, 2012).

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Article

In this article, the author addresses the impact that peace talks between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Columbian government will have on Latin America. One of the key impacts, as pointed out by the author, is that it will bring an end to one of the longest armed conflicts in the world. The author's methodology encompasses seeking advice from experts and specialists in the political field. In conclusion, the author asserts that a peace deal would bring about a better business climate and would generate more investment into Colombia. In addition, it would also help in easing tensions in the region between Venezuela and Ecuador as well as reduce violence within the region. In addition, the author asserts that a peace deal would alter relations between U.S. and Latin America. This in particular would be the removal of Cuba from U.S. terrorist list (Llana, 2012).

Article 5

In the article, the author addresses the condition of the proclaimed indeterminate cease-fire by FARC. The leftist guerrilla group has been partaking in peace talks with the government since 2012. FARC had mentioned that the cease-fire would be effective on condition that an international verification team would be put in place to monitor compliance. However, this is an element that the government has refused, which bring doubts into whether the cease-fire will take place or not. The author seeks information from analysts and specialists as well as institutions such as Conflict Analysis Resource Center. In conclusion, the author points out that FARC is possibly attempting to force the government into a bilateral cease-fire. However, this is a deal that the government will most likely refuse as the President Santos has time and again insisted that it is the constitutional duty of the government to protect its citizens.