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October 20, 2004
Colombian Army push-polling
The Colombian Army's website this morning has an interestingly worded poll question:
The high commissioner for peace, Luis Carlos Restrepo, said that now is the best moment for the self-defense groups [paramilitaries] to carry out a massive demobilization.Do you think this is the best moment, considering that the FARC still remains active as a terrorist organization?
The question's phrasing indicates that the army is still not viewing all illegal armed groups equally as enemies. Even in question form, the army should not publicly be entertaining the notion that one group might serve as a bulwark, or a balance, against another. If the AUC demobilizes (which is pretty unlikely anyway), the army should be pleased to have an enemy removed from the battlefield, not worried about having to confront the FARC alone.
Encouragingly, the majority of respondents so far - 69% as of noon today - have voted "yes," the AUC should demobilize no matter what happens to the FARC.
Posted by isacson at October 20, 2004 12:01 PM
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