Over the past four years, Colombia has eradicated nearly 300,000 hectares (more than 1,000 square miles) of coca while seizing more than 2,000 metric tons of pure cocaine and cocaine base, but the country remains plagued by illicit drug activity.
This does not mean a Petro presidency is the best option for Colombia. Though both the current government and the business sector want to avoid this scenario, their actions have continued to open the door to the possibility of a Petro victory.
Amid a flurry of recent gang violence in Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador, a recent New York Times article argued that the Biden administration has an opportunity to decrease the flow of weapons across the southern border by passing legislation requiring universal background checks.
The Colombian oil industry had many ups and downs in 2020, but Wall Street has been lifting 2021 oil price predictions, and positive oil price forecasts are expected to help bolster Colombia’s production.
After the Centro Democrático party sought to interfere in the United States presidential elections, there have been further efforts to interject themselves into the domestic politics of other countries including Peru, Argentina, and now Ecuador.
It is not difficult to foreshadow that 2021 will be a tough year for Colombia as it grapples with COVID-19, struggles to maintain economic growth, begins the 2022 electoral cycle, deals with the aftermath of climate-related disasters, and with the security and implementation challenges of the Peace Agreement.
Colombian support for President Donald Trump during the 2020 presidential election threatens to stain the U.S.-Colombia relationship. The task now will be to undertake a full-blown exercise in damage control.
The impacts left by Hurricane Iota on the islands of San Andrés and Providencia has added to the sense of dread and abandonment by the central government long felt by the residents of the archipelago. Although the government’s response to the crisis has been swift, there is a sense that more could have been done to mitigate the risks from hurricanes and extreme weather caused by climate change.
The risk of violence against Venezuelan migrants in Colombia is increasing as the immigrant population continues to put additional stress on already impacted health, education, and economic systems.
El regreso de Salvatore Mancuso a Colombia puede significar un avance en materia de reparación para las víctimas, pero también significa una mirada al pasado, a un país que ningún colombiano quiere volver; por esto, se debe proceder con cautela y cuidado.
