Publication

This monograph discusses recent changes in Colombia and how cautious optimism pervades discussions of Bogota's seemingly intractable situation. Drugs, terrorism, and insurgency continue in their explosive mix, but the current government of President Alvaro Uribe has fashioned a sustainable counterinsurgency approach that holds the strategic initiative and has a chance of negating a long-standing security threat to the state. Furthermore, the paper discusses the military reform movement engineered by Colombian officers committed to strengthening military professionalism and accountability to civilian authority. The US has supported the process, working closely with what many are beginning to call a model in dealing with the complexities of state integration, development, and internal security.