Colombia’s Democratic Hero Could End Up Compromising Its Basic Institutions
Colombia, Washington’s most faithful ally in South America, is rapidly experiencing a series of developments that invoke questions on the proper role of U.S. foreign policy towards the region.
President Alvaro Uribe, who is finishing his sixth year in office, has maintained extremely high approval ratings among Colombians, mainly due to his recent U.S.-backed military successes against the FARC, Latin America’s oldest and largest guerrilla group. After a dramatic military operation in which fifteen hostages were rescued by Colombian security forces, Uribe’s approval rating soared to a historic 91 percent. Now one of the groups backing him, the “U” Party, is leading a movement that would revise Colombia’s constitution to allow Uribe to run for a third term in 2010. A recent poll indicated that 70 percent of Colombians believe that Uribe should be able to run for re-election again, and a remarkable 79 percent said that they would vote for him once more, if the opportunity was available. So, he must be doing something right. Right?
It depends on how one looks at the country’s present political environment. The FARC has been categorized as a terrorist group by Colombia, the United States, and the European Union. As such, Uribe has pursued a hard-line against them, often engaging in an “ends justify the means” approach which palpably has succeeded in reducing violence and improving overall security in the country, but perhaps at an unacceptable heavy cost.
A closer look at the puportedly rosy hue of Colombia under Uribe in the context of democratic development reveals a much grayer situation that is, in fact, alarmingly worsening. As Uribe’s popularity reaches extraordinary levels, the standing of his country’s basic institutions have reached disturbing lows. Colombia, a country which has had a relatively strong democratic tradition, is ominously beginning to exhibit patterns indicative of an authoritarian tilt. While its leader is boisterously toasted by the populace many of the basic institutions existing around him may prove to be too weak to provide adequate checks on his personal exercise of power. An evaluation of this unhappy scenario –which could deteriorate even further if he runs and wins a third consecutive term—suggests that in spite of Washington’s self-serving boosterism for its southern ally, Colombian democracy could be at grave risk under Uribe.
More:
http://www.coha.org/2008/08/colombia%E2%80%99s-democratic-hero-could-end-up-compromising-its-basic-institutions/