Is Colombia Next?

On November 6, thirty to forty terrorists from the Colombian April 19 Movement (M-19) seized the Palace of Justice in Bogotá, taking hostage 22 of the nation’s 23 supreme court justices. President Belisario Betancur ordered the building stormed. In the ensuing battle, 11 of the justices were killed, at least six of them deliberately executed by the guerrillas. Two weeks before, an M-19 hit squad attempted to assassinate Colombia’s top military officer, General Rafael Samudio Molina. He escaped with minor injuries.

These attacks made headlines around the world. The underlying story, however, has received less attention, particularly in the United States. These incidents, along with a recent spate of attacks on Colombian military barracks and police stations, plus a collection of evidence from other South American countries, suggest that parts of South America may soon be victimized by levels of subversion and revolutionary violence comparable to what Central America has been experiencing since the late 1970s. The prime exporters are once again Cuba and Nicaragua, but especially Nicaragua.* There is evidence, for instance, of these countries’ support for stepped-up guerrilla and subversive activities in Peru and Chile.

ML

About the Author

Marlo Lewis

Marlo Lewis is a senior fellow in environmental policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, where he researches and writes on global warming, energy policy, and regulatory process reform.

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On November 6, thirty to forty terrorists from the Colombian April 19 Movement (M-19) seized the Palace of Justice in Bogotá, taking hostage 22 of the nation’s 23 supreme court justices. President Belisario Betancur ordered the building stormed. In the ensuing battle, 11 of the justices were killed, at least six of them deliberately executed by the guerrillas. Two weeks before, an M-19 hit squad attempted to assassinate Colombia’s top military officer, General Rafael Samudio Molina. He escaped with minor injuries.

These attacks made headlines around the world. The underlying story, however, has received less attention, particularly in the United States. These incidents, along with a recent spate of attacks on Colombian military barracks and police stations, plus a collection of evidence from other South American countries, suggest that parts of South America may soon be victimized by levels of subversion and revolutionary violence comparable to what Central America has been experiencing since the late 1970s. The prime exporters are once again Cuba and Nicaragua, but especially Nicaragua.* There is evidence, for instance, of these countries’ support for stepped-up guerrilla and subversive activities in Peru and Chile.

ML

About the Author

Marlo Lewis

Marlo Lewis is a senior fellow in environmental policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, where he researches and writes on global warming, energy policy, and regulatory process reform.