Democratic Discourse and the Conflict in Colombia

The political negotiation of the armed conflict in Colombia is not simply a matter of the strategic positions of the main contenders; it also reflects a conceptual framework in which leftist intellectuals have played a very important role. The development of this framework began with the search for more efficient ways of conducting the political process but eventually arrived at an unforeseen position with regard to the current negotiation process and the ways of handling social conflicts democratically. This conceptual framework has run into some obstacles and will have to overcome its hidden agendas and adopt new perspectives. At the same time, given the current international situation, both the guerrillas and the establishment will inevitably have to accept elements of the country's new democratic discourse. Furthermore, the general situation in Colombia, despite its democratic window dressing, is characterized by short-lived and partial democratization and legitimation. The resolution of the armed conflict will require changes in the guerrillas' behavior (particularly with regard to kidnapping and drug trafficking) and that of the establishment (e.g., the paramilitaries and the lack of guarantees to the leftist opposition). Social considerations will be reintroduced into the negotiation process. Although it may seem paradoxical, these considerations have been neglected by the guerrillas themselves, who have reduced social issues and political change to rhetorical references to their legitimization. The new democratic discourse in Colombia offers a path toward a negotiated settlement. Above all, a powerful left will be indispensable in legitimating, by democratic means, any reforms. The idea advanced in this article is that legitimation by democratic means is inevitable whether the political participants (including the armed ones) are faced with triumphs, draws, or defeats

Democracy · Democratization · Legitimation · Negotiation · Opposition (politics) · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Rhetorical question · Social conflict · Sociology · Conflict, Peace, and Violence in Colombia · Cultural and political discourse analysis · History and Politics in Latin America · Law

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