Peace in Their Time?

demonstrator's sign reads, "Yes, I believe in peace. And you?"                                     Getty Images

The people of Colombia are hoping for the best. Leaving aside the country's conquest and colonization by Spain in the 1500s and the long slog toward independence and unification, the start of the 20th century saw the end of the Thousand Days' War and the beginning of a Year-Long War with Peru. The late '40s and early '50s was the time of La Violencia, and the '60s and beyond have seen low-level but fairly constant fighting between the government (encouraged by the United States), left-wing guerrilla groups (including the FARC, or the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People's Army), and right-wing paramilitaries. Finally, now, on September 23, President Juan Manuel Santos and Rodrigo Londoño, the leader of the FARC, announced that they are finalizing a peace deal. Is there room for hope? We're not there quite yet, but yes, says Humberto de la Calle, the Colombian government’s top negotiator. “Peace is about to break out in Colombia”: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/25/colombia-hope-for-peace-farc?CMP=ema_565a