Go to consortiumblog.com to post comments

Order Now

Archives

Bush End Game
George W. Bush's presidency since 2007

Bush - Second Term
George W. Bush's presidency from 2005-06

Bush - First Term
George W. Bush's presidency, 2000-04

Who Is Bob Gates?
The secret world of Defense Secretary Gates

2004 Campaign
Bush Bests Kerry

Behind Colin Powell's Legend
Gauging Powell's reputation.

The 2000 Campaign
Recounting the controversial campaign.

Media Crisis
Is the national media a danger to democracy?

The Clinton Scandals
Behind President Clinton's impeachment.

Nazi Echo
Pinochet & Other Characters.

The Dark Side of Rev. Moon
Rev. Sun Myung Moon and American politics.

Contra Crack
Contra drug stories uncovered

Lost History
America's tainted historical record

The October Surprise "X-Files"
The 1980 election scandal exposed.

International
From free trade to the Kosovo crisis.

Other Investigative Stories

Editorials

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has declared that armed struggle in Latin America is essentially over.

In the latest chapter of his complex mediation between left-wing guerrillas and the right-wing Colombian government, Chavez has asked the FARC guerrillas to lay down their arms and release all hostages "in exchange of nothing" - as a humanitarian gesture.

(Written story continues below)

In order to clarify the complex relationship between FARC, Chavez, the Uribe government in Colombia, and the Bush administration, Real News analyst Pepe Escobar spoke with one of the foremost US specialists in South America, historian Forrest Hylton.

According to Hylton, FARC has not represented a popular revolutionary movement for a long time, and since the late 1970s have been engaging in extortion, kidnapping, and drug trade.  However, unlike right-wing paramilitary forces that have cocaine distribution networks in Europe and the United States, FARC has played a relatively small role in South American drug production and trade.

The Bush administration appears uninterested in fostering a peaceful resolution to the problem, as imbalances in the Plan Colombia budget clearly suggest, but with support through Chavez, Correa, and the French government, there may be a political solution yet.

TheRealNews.com is an independent news network that produces stories of global interest. 

To comment at Consortiumblog, click here. (To make a blog comment about this or other stories, you can use your normal e-mail address and password. Ignore the prompt for a Google account.) To comment to us by e-mail, click here. To donate so we can continue publishing stories like the one you just read, click here.

Back to Home Page