Boletín de Prensa Internacional 11/10/10
Cerrar la puerta a la guerra de las drogas
Newsweek (EE.UU) ‘Close the Door to Drug Wars’
Violence is on the rise again in Colombia, especially in cities, even as the military continues its gains against the guerrilla insurgency. Murder rates in Medellín—while still a far cry from their 1990s peak—have tripled in the last three years, largely as the result of narcotrafficking. As mayor of Medellín from 2003 to 2007, Sergio Fajardo sought to combat violence by complementing military efforts with social intervention in poverty-stricken neighborhoods. Fajardo—the running mate of Antanas Mockus, the runner-up in this summer’s presidential election—spoke to NEWSWEEK’s Mike Giglio about the necessity of using soft power and social outreach in Latin America’s drug war. Excerpts: ’
There has been well-documented military success against violence in colombia. so why focus on things like education and architecture? ’
There is an entrance door to the world of violence and delinquency. And we have to act within that world. You need the police, the justice system, the military, and all these things. And we have done those in Colombia. But we have to close that entrance door. It’s a door that is very wide open in Medellín. ver>>
Con 'Pastor Alape' al interior de las FARC
ABC (España) En la guarida de las FARC con Pastor Alape, su nuevo jefe militar
Un periodista, mano a mano con el actual líder de la guerrilla en la última entrevista que concedió, en 2008; un relato desde el vientre de la fiera’
Antes de aquella noche sólo había visto su cara una vez. Aparecía en un cartel, casi de perfil. Debajo se leía: Félix Antonio Muñoz Lascarro, alias Pastor Alape, jefe del Bloque del Magdalena Medio de las FARC. Al final había una cifra, el valor de su cabeza: 2,5 millones de dólares. Encontré aquel cartel al intentar saber algo más sobre el hombre al que, me habían dicho mis contactos, quizás podría entrevistar. El mismo hombre que hace unos días se convirtió en el jefe militar de las FARC. ver>>
La economía de la violencia de drogas
The Wall Street Journal (EE.UU.) The Economics of Drug Violence
Competition in the narcotics trade is preferable to monopolistic syndicates. ’
President Felipe Calderón still has two years left in office. But he is already on track to go down in history as having presided over the bloodiest Mexican sexenio since the revolution of 1910. By December, when Mr. Calderón completes his fourth year as president, the national death toll from his war on the drug cartels could reach 30,000. ’
Statistically speaking, Mexico is a relatively safe place with 12 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2009. The trouble is that the violence is concentrated, and according to one economist I talked with here, that's because the drug-trafficking business is structured much like Colombia's was in the 1980s and '90s. ver>>