Terrorism in ColombiaWill you be safe?Does terrorism in Colombia exist and will you be safe? The short answer is, yes. Terrorism in ColombiaAfter “911”, the term came about after former Secretary of State Colin Powell introduced the term.Before then, there were events that certainly imply that there is an element of terrorism in Colombia, such as the 1989 explosion on an Avianca flight that killed all 110 passengers. Beyond that, the term seems reductive of the complexity of the issues at hand that do not reflect those experienced by the U.S. Daily Life vs. HistoryWhere I live is known for the Medellin Cartel, who in 1989 killed presidential candidate Luis Galan but really, this is history now and so is Pablo Escobar who died in 1993. That is not to say that the scars from his reign don't still remain and they do, but that Colombia and Medellin have since moved on.Personally, I've grown tired of the generalizations made about Colombia and the Medellin drug cartel. It's not that the drug trade isn't a problem, nor that drug lords and cartels don't exist, but that ignorance regarding the issues do a lot of damage to this countries reputation. Given the amount the term terrorism is used and interest in the FARC, we will look at whether or not, the term applies to them. The FARCf you look at the historical aspects of the perceived danger of traveling to Colombia, you need to know a little about the FARC.The FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) is an army that initially claimed to represent the rural poor sector of society and to oppose neo-imperialism, monopolization of natural resources and the United States’ influence over the Colombian Government. It's been fashionable, especially by foreigners, to support the group but as was revealed in the documentary, “El Terrorismo: Su mano en Colombia” (Terrorism: Its hand over Colombia) they were not fighting to eradicate poverty, but to benefit themselves through drug trafficking and terror. I've personally met Norwegians and North Americans who say they support them but really, it's a fairly embarrassing and wildly naive belief to hold. Ask just about any level-headed Colombian and you'll be put straight. The problem lies in not understanding the difference between a moderate right or left wing point of view, versus both poles taken to their extreme which is where things get very ugly. A hard core leftist in Norway is not the same as in Colombia. The forced recruiting of peasants, women and children by the guerrilla, along with the kidnapping of thousands and the sabotaging of the country’s goods such as gas pipelines and communication infrastructure, have severely damaged Colombia’s population instead of improving the quality of life and eradicate poverty. The governments efforts to fight back and at times, use of brutal and crude force, such as through the paramilitary death squads, has not helped the situation. If you look at all these factors, you could say that yes, terrorism in Colombia exists, but this has no influence on people simply wanting to come here as tourists or even to live here for that matter.
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