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EL ESPECTADOR

Why The FARC Peace Process Is Not On The Fast Track

One full year has past since peace talks opened between the Colombian government and the rebel forces after decades of war. But behind the slow pace, there are real reasons for hope.

A young Colombian during the ''March for Peace'' in Bogota, on Apr. 9, 2013.
A young Colombian during the ''March for Peace'' in Bogota, on Apr. 9, 2013.

Exactly one year ago representatives of the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), gathered in Havana's Palace of Conventions to begin negotiations on a possible end to half a century of civil conflict between the democratic State and a self-styled "People's Army."

BOGOTA – Will the guns finally go silent and give way to a Colombia where war is neither the engine of a nation, nor cause and excuse for why things are or are not done? There have been hitches so far to the negotiations, but what successful peace process is without them? The pace has lagged, but whoever thought peace would come in six months? Patience is needed, if a satisfactory and lasting conclusion is desired.

Much has evolved this year in the framework of the conversations in Havana, which is ultimately positive. Consider firstly the FARC's line. A year ago they were talking like they had won the war, hectoring with the same tone they used five decades ago, laying the blame on everyone but themselves. They said it was the State that should be put on trial, because the State (and nobody else) had been the real producer of the war's victims.

The tone is all quite different now. The FARC have realized how in reality, they are talking to a negotiating party, on equal terms, not to a defeated opponent. Their cynicism is also, evidently, less than it was. Their words changed in time: they recognized their responsibility as protagonists of a martial conflict, the need to compensate the victims they left on their path, the possiblity of handing over their arms and ending once and for all, half a century of bullets.

And there is no better proof of this change than the two points of the negotiating agenda the parties have agreed on so far: "a comprehensive rural development policy" - who owns land in Colombia and how it is used - and "participation in politics." To some, it has seemed like the talks have lasted a long time, especially since President Juan Manuel Santos vowed a year ago they would measured in months not years. But few of us could have imagined that two such crucial points, which nobody could foresee the two parties agreeing on, could actually emerge.

All or nothing

What the parties are discussing now is nothing more nor less than the kind of country Colombia could be. Still, optimism should clearly be cautious at this stage. "Nothing is agreed on until everything is agreed on" is the State's guiding motto in the talks.

And with that in mind, we know much remains to be done. This means not just more than half the points on the negotiating agenda – including crucial points yet to be discussed like justice, a historical accounting and reparations - but also the likely many, stumbling blocks that may threaten the pursuit of talks.

While the negotiators' formula has had some success, the loss of time could affect public opinion. It is after all the public that will have the decisive say on whether or not any agreement is legitimate. As we said, the attitude has changed quite a bit. But it can improve further still. Let what has been learned so far serve precisely that purpose - to travel the remaining path with the benefit of experience.

"Resolving the problem of illicit drug trafficking" is the third point on the agenda. Let's begin then, and take account of the ideas civil society and universities have sent toward its resolution.

The peace process is said to face a crucial deadline: next year's elections. We may sound very optimistic saying this, but a process like this should be able to stand a day's voting, and even a change of government. For now, a year after all this began, one must think only of continuing the process forward, regardless of events happening around it.

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Future

Life On "Mars": With The Teams Simulating Space Missions Under A Dome

A niche research community plays out what existence might be like on, or en route to, another planet.

Photo of a person in a space suit walking toward the ​Mars Desert Research Station near Hanksville, Utah

At the Mars Desert Research Station near Hanksville, Utah

Sarah Scoles

In November 2022, Tara Sweeney’s plane landed on Thwaites Glacier, a 74,000-square-mile mass of frozen water in West Antarctica. She arrived with an international research team to study the glacier’s geology and ice fabric, and how its ice melt might contribute to sea level rise. But while near Earth’s southernmost point, Sweeney kept thinking about the moon.

“It felt every bit of what I think it will feel like being a space explorer,” said Sweeney, a former Air Force officer who’s now working on a doctorate in lunar geology at the University of Texas at El Paso. “You have all of these resources, and you get to be the one to go out and do the exploring and do the science. And that was really spectacular.”

That similarity is why space scientists study the physiology and psychology of people living in Antarctic and other remote outposts: For around 25 years, people have played out what existence might be like on, or en route to, another world. Polar explorers are, in a way, analogous to astronauts who land on alien planets. And while Sweeney wasn’t technically on an “analog astronaut” mission — her primary objective being the geological exploration of Earth — her days played out much the same as a space explorer’s might.

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