Professor Elissa Williams
International Relations
November 30, 2013
Colombia and its government
Colombia is a small country located in South America. This country has suffered with different problems related to education, economy, a civil war and drug trafficking for many years. It is better now than it has been in the past but the problems are still there. The government of a country is its nucleus, the only way in order to achieve stability. If the country has a good government that knows how to manage it they would reach the “well-being” of its people. A good government in Colombia is the only thing that can make their problems disappear. The government had enhanced a lot over the years but they still need to improve very much.
Education should be looked as one of the most important things in everyone’s eyes. The kids are the future of the country. They can be presidents, part of the government, doctors, lawyers, etc. In their hands is the future and that’s why they need to know what they are doing. Beginning with the fact that Colombia has a democratic government, it means that the civilians get to choose their president. The person that would represent them and would make important choices for the country. In order to make a great vote education is completely necessary. The people that are not educated vote because the things that they gave them when they were on campaign or because they think that one candidate is handsome than the other.
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The public education in Colombia was really bad. The teachers, the ones that are supposed to be example didn’t had a major education in a University. The conditions of the schools where completely deplorable and they were not enough to all the population. The number of people that suffered illiteracy in the country was extremely high. Since 2000 The countries that where part of the ONU (Organization of United Nations) began a program called “Education for all” that according to Ms. Paula Rasquin researcher of the ONU it has made education in Colombia improved. She said that between 1999 and 2007 2 million adults that were suffering of illiteracy know how to write and read. Also, more than 413,000 more children than before have access to school. However, she stands that they need to train the teachers. The level of education would not increase much if the teachers are not capable to teach how they are suppose to.
Education is also important in order to improve the economy of the country. If there is more people train in any profession like technology, engineering, etc. They would do a very good job in any part of the country and would increase their profit. Therefore, the profit of the country would increase too.
In the years of 2008 to 2013 the world suffered of a world wide economic crisis. A lot of developed countries suffered it. However, Colombia was not part of it. Many people think that this countries economy is not okay. This country suffered a major economic crisis during the decade of the 1990’s because of the bad credit use and the devaluation of their money (the Colombian peso) but

Jalil 3 this is just the past. The world wide economical situation would give ups and downs to this country but will not take it to a crisis.
The truth is Colombia’s attitude to the external commerce have made this country economically stable. Since the presidency of Alvaro Uribe began in 2002 politics helping the external commerce have beneficiate Colombia and other countries speaking about economical relations. Colombia has a lot of facilities in order to make other countries choose them to make inversions in it an also export their products.
Colombia has a lot of exportation products like flowers, banana, cotton, rice, vegetables, textiles, living animals, alcohol, cigarettes, jewelry, etc. But there are 3 major exportation products that had help a lot the economic growth of this country. One of them is the coffee. Colombia is the third best country producing it and they exported to United States, Germany, Japan, etc. The production of this product gives many Colombian people jobs, which helps maintain the economic stability of the country a lot because it reduces poverty. Another major exportation product is the petroleum. This product is everything to the Colombians economy because many countries need it in order to produce chemicals, energy and more products. It is really easy to sell. Finally, the last major exportation product is Carbon. This country has the major reservations of carbon in Latino America and if the fifth major exporter of carbon in the world to countries likes United States and some in Europe.
Even though the economy of Colombia is improving a lot and having a goof time right now it could be better. This is a country full of natural environments and unique species. It is the second country in mega diversity
Jalil 4 after Brazil and it is because of the different sizes they have. If Colombia would have been bigger then it will be the first. If this country has so much nature and amazing natural spots why there is almost no tourism? That will also increase the economy. It is almost impossible to increase tourism somewhere people doesn’t feel safe. That is the exact reason why tourism have been so low. Colombia is in a civil war.
The civil war is a problem in this country since 1953. Everything began with the unhappiness of the citizens with the government. A group of communist people called FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) wanted equality to all so they revealed against the government and started living in the jungle, in the frontier. At the beginning they had a lot of support by the people of Colombia, they wanted a better country and more justice. Furthermore, later this group started to make terrorist attacks and financed their selves with illegal techniques.
FARCS had try to prove their point and achieve anything they want using bombs in any manner they can to kill civilians and politicians. They have made so many attacks during almost 50 years that everyone that is in that country has fear because of them. One of the attacks happened in May 2dn, 2002 in Bojaya , Choco where they put a bomb on a church in order to kill municipal citizens that were hidden in there. Other attacked happened on April 14, 2005 where bombs where dropped on the streets of Toribio killing and hurting civilian people. They also kidnap politicians and civilians in order to prove what they are capable of or in order to get something that they want.

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The government of Colombia has been fighting against this group more than 50 years. They have been doing a great job. During the years the government have improve with their measures. In the past the government decided it was better to have an agreement with them and negotiate liberation of hostages or prevent terrorist attacks. They also have made operations to attack them and they have accomplished to kill two of their leaders. Now, the actual president Juan Manuel Santos has decided to cut any communication possible with them and doesn’t negotiate anything. He established that they want to eradicate them, not to live in peace with them.
This group has many forms in order to finance their attacks and their lives. They win a lot of money with 3 things; extortion to the government and politicians threatening with attacks, murders, kidnaps or liberation of hostages. Makin illegal mining and finally the one that gives them the bigger income, drug trafficking. In the jungle they have their own “laboratories” where they fabricate cocaine and more drugs and sell it. Because the country has no power with them they can’t control this drug distribution at all.
Because of the existence of the FARC it is really easy to distribute drugs in Colombia. This makes that foreign people travel to Colombia just to buy it, and not just that. They go to Colombia chasing the opportunity to put their own business of drug trafficking. This group is something that inspires fear to anyone, especially to Colombian people. There are a lot of officers that know where these laboratories are or who is distributing the drugs but they just let it go and pass the drugs because they don’t want to have problems with them.

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They are scared to end up killed by them so they are blackmailed and that’s how corruption happens.
Colombia is a country that has improved a lot in every way. Education is incredibly increasing its level but they still have to improve with their quality of teachers and train them. Their economy has increase since the crisis and hasn’t entered in a recession and that is because of the good management in economic exterior policies. They have a good government with some flaws and details that need to improve still. However their condition with the FARC and their civil war with them would not permit this country get further. They need to eradicate that problem. If they can get out of that situation Colombia could be a developed country in not a very long time.

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Bibliography
Clavijo, Julie. Economic, financial and business observatory. Sergio Arboleda University. 2007. Web. November 29, 2013.
FARC. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia- Army Village. FARC. 2001. Web. 30 November, 2013.
Macias, Javier. “The FARC obtains a billion pesos because of cocaine”. Historical Journal. 1 April, 2012. New Day. Web. 29 November, 2013.
Razquin, Paula. Academic Guide. Education for all. 19 April, 2010. Web. 30 November, 2013.
Torres, Pedro. Farc Origins. Te interesa. 6 September, 2012. Web. 30 November, 2013.