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Colombia: The Genocidal Democracy

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In 1991 I was a student in Universidad Javeriana in Colombia, and father Giraldo was a teacher there. My personal experience with him lead me to think that he was a little too radical in reference to the armed conflict in Colombia. Years later, when I read this book, I had the opportunity to confirm my initial hintch, because he is basically saying that the National Army of Colombia is the main responsible for the violence in that country. Many human rights organizations in Colombia are part of the leftist party, so their reports of brutality from the army tend to be exagerated, whereas the brutality from the leftist guerrillas are covered up by these organizations. I am sure that Padre Giraldo had good intentions when he wrote this book, and I recommend it to people with certain background on the Colombian situation. Internationally, the guerrillas have used enormous PR campaigns to disguise the enormous drug-trafficking organization they have become, and, to some extent, Padre Giraldo appears to be playing their game. So , please if you decide to read this book, be careful about what you believe in, because the conflict may be extremely more complex and unfair to the Colombian Army than it could appear to be.

Father Giraldo's account of the state terrorism and human rights abuses being perpetrated by the Columbian Army and their paramilitary proxies is one of the more disturbing, illuminating, infuriating and compelling books on the market.

Why the elite of Columbia would go to such lengths to keep the poor under their "iron heel" is most adequately answered by Noam Chomsky in his introduction to "Colombia: The Genocidal Democracy:"

"It is necessary to impose silence and spread fear in countries like Colombia, where the top three percent of the landed elite own over 70% of arable land while 57% of the poorest farmers subsist on under 3% -- a country where 40% of the population live in "absolute poverty," unable to satisfy basic subsistence needs according to an official government report in 1986, and 18% live in "absolute misery," unable to meet nutritional needs. The Colombian Institute of Family Welfare estimates that four and a half million children under 14 are hungry, half the country's children."

Again, "Colombia: The Genocidal Democracy" is both a disturbing and compelling book and a must-read in light of current developments in Columbia.

Father Giraldo's book is the most concise, informative book explaining the complex relationship between the Colombian army and their paramilitary proxies. If you are interested in human rights in the Americas, and are concerned about U.S. aid to the Colombian military, it is a must read. Also consider the reports of NGOs like Human Rights Watch, whose more in-depth treatments confirm Giraldo's points.

There is no denying it. The Colombian army is corrupt. This book exposes the "dirty war" the armed forces is waging in Colombia. Father Giraldo is fearless. He bravely dares to point a finger directly at the Colombian armed forces.

This small volume is an invaluable resource for those who are interested in the human rights situation in Colombia. In this book we learn that the greatest perpetrators of human rights abuses are the paramilitaries who are in close alliance with the Colombian army. Unfortunately, the book does not cover the U.S. involment Colombia, which is significant. Indeed since the publication of this book, the U.S. has stepped up its operations in Colombia through the infamous Plan Colombia.

As a native-born Colombian, who emmigrated from Colombia at the age of 7, I found this book to be a very revealing and "eye-opening" account of the political situation in Colombia. Nonetheless we must be careful not to attribute the Journalists of this Country as participants in the abuse of human rights via their wrtings. Many as we know have been assassinated themselves at an alarming rate. Additionally we must be careful in "glorifying" the many guerilla groups found in this Country as defenders of Human Rights. Lastly, we must specially be careful in aligning the Drug Cartels to the Governemnt of Colombia when acts of Human Rights abuse are carried out against innocent people. In all, I do applaud the Author for bringing out many truths to the public arena.

Father Giraldo's account fits the facts of a typical counterintelligence operation. Colombia's covert paramilitary campaign is a showcase, along th lines of Operation Phoenix, of what a "counterinsurgency" war is all about. If this book had more military details it would be a best-seller.