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by Sergio Aguayo (translated by CPNN)

Who is winning and who is losing in the narco wars? How can we achieve a convergence of state and society around a common project for the construction of peace?

Between 20 and 22 June, Mexican and foreign academics, social leaders, victims, officials and senators discussed the situation of violence and peace in ten states of the Republic. The event, coordinated by Froylán Enciso for Violence and Peace Seminar of the College of Mexico, was sponsored by the National Commission of Human Rights, the Belisario Dominguez Institute of the Senate of the Republic and the Deputy Human Rights of the PGR (program: violenciaypaz.colmex.mx/).

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A paradox. The State is winning the war, but organized crime is flourishing and the society is paying the bills. Federal forces are breaking up the drug cartels and imprisoning or killing the big capos but the violence does not end; it is reduced here to return there and then return to place of origin. In this situation the thirst for wealth and power of the mini-cartels proliferates.
                                                       
At the meeting the enormity of state spending devoted to preventing violence and regeneration of the social fabric was recognized. There was consensus that the poor results can be attributed to waste, disorganization and lack of continuity. In sum, the State knows how to break up cartels but lacks a strategy to build peace.

Passivity is a myth. Society resists. Even in communities devastated like Tamaulipas [scene of mass murders in recent years] there are victims, civic leaders, academics, religious and social groups documenting the barbarism and bringing hope to the affected population. Citizens and institutions of other countries are interested; the narco wars are internationalized.

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(Click here for a Spanish version of this article

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

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Resistance is weakened by atomization and isolation; centralism continues to weigh heavily, as well as isolation because of geographical distances. Hence, Mexico City has been little affected by criminal violence; it evades the violence plaguing other portions of the territory. Another problem is the differences between academics and activists; this came up in our private conversations, reflecting the lack of a common culture of peace.

The rocky and complicated issue was, is, and will be the relationship between the state and organized society. The evidence confirms that a formula for success requires the collaboration between State and society. In Mexico the obstacles are enormous because the officials who have hierarchy and budgets look askance at academics while activists are too independent and wary of officials.

There was concern about the third day of activities organized by the Institute Belisario Dominguez in the Senate. On this day, ten social leaders (some of them victims) were accompanied by students (most from El Colegio de Mexico) who helped systematize their experiences for presentation to the senators willing to listen to the testimony. Criticisms were restrained and responses were measured. They could not arrive a concrete agreements because it takes much more to demolish the walls that separate society and state. It’s a long road we must travel to generate empathy.
                    
The seminar illuminated the challenges posed by narco wars: 1) we need to improve our understanding of the dynamics of criminal violence and social resistance; 2) we must reduce barriers to communication and collaboration between academics and activists; 3) it is urgent to better incorporate international solidarity and 4) is essential to ensure that the State give priority to public safety in its war strategy. It is a mistake to fragment the drug cartels and forget the victims.

The most promising route is the development of a culture of peace acceptable to victims, activists, academics and officials. In the case of Mexican the initiative needs to come from organized society and in particular universities. At the present time, these are the spaces for a natural and logical convergence between different sectors of the society. To fail in this effort can only open the door to the futher increase of organized crime.

(Thank you to Roberto Mercadillo for sending this to CPNN)

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Excerpt from the website of the Encounter (translated by CPNN)

The First International Encounter for Peace Studies – Cartagena de Indias (Colombia), 7 – 9 September 2016 – is a space for academic discussion of singular importance in the field of social sciences. It aims to strengthen links between theoretical discussions about peace building, as well as the necessary links for conflict transformation in that context. By listening to different voices and perspectives and by commitment to an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspective, we can assimilate the approaches of various investigations, and create the conditions for engagement and dialogue with various stakeholders of social conflicts.

During the course of the meeting, there will be cultural activities: exhibitions of photography and short films and documentaries, cultural experiences, etc. These materials may be displayed and/or presented by their authors or guest commentators.

MODALITIES OF PARTICIPATION

Presentations and discussions with special invited guests

Roundtables: Group presentations on each of the thematic lines

Presentation of Experiences around specific themes in order to establish dialogue and cooperation among participants.

Workshops involving practicing teachers and graduate students

THEMATIC SESSIONS

The theoretical content and scope of the thematic lines are presented below and the coordinators of each will be forthcoming soon.

Justice, Truth and Forgiveness

In this session are presented the advances and research results concerning transitional justice processes both local and global, including trends, prospects and strategies undertaken by different actors (victims, perpetrators, state, civil society, media, academia, etc.) and institutions that are responsible for their consolidation. The various theoretical and methodological trends for the construction of public policies aimed at strengthening peace and reconciliation are analyzed., responding to contemporary debates as well as the political implications resulting from the knowledge and judgment of atrocities

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What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

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Land, Territory and Post-Conflict

This theme will reflect on the challenges of policy for structural transformation of land ownership and use in Colombia. Studies are presented concerning land restitution, formalization of land ownership, the recovery of public lands, and new visions of rural development from a multidimensional perspective including the perspectives of those who have been involved in the Colombian conflict. It will be interesting to learn about the advances and research results concerning possible legal reforms intended to regulate the legalization and social use of land by the victims of the conflict.

Education, Pedagogy and Communication for Peace

The presentations of this session highlight progress and results of studies about initiatives and experiences around the introduction of the theme of peace into schools and universities, as well as works that address the challenges of communication in the context of the transition to peace. The axis of this area is the dissemination of research processes and knowledge generation that promote teaching and learning in the context of a culture of peace. Also considered are the devlopment of spaces for social tolerance and solidarity, as well as questions of legal reforms that require educational institutions to be involved in the construction of peace.

Urban Violence and Human Security

This session concerns research to identify and describe the different discourses involved in building security policies enunciated by the different actors concerning the question of punishment for past offenses. It will address the contexts and discourse concerning strategies to contain and transform urban violence as well as violence generated in post-conflict and/or post-agreement areas. It will also present papers from cultural, political and economic perspectives that analyze government policies to fight against organized crime.

Struggles and Social Movements

This session presents progress and results of academic work and the sharing of experiences about struggles and empowerment of collectives and social movements. It will elucidate control strategies and recognition of rights based on the constitutional guarantees for freedom of assembly. It is expected to provide a space for discussion in which different social actors (unions, LGTBI Community, Afro Movements, feminist movements, collectives for the rights of peasants and cultural movements in general) can explain the dynamics and challenges they face in the context of neoliberalism, including globalization and loss of local involvement in the economy and privatization of social and political guarantees, as well as the understanding of dynamics articulated in the post-conflict context.

For information about costs and registration, go to encounter website.

(Thanks to Alicia Cabezudo who sent this to CPNN)

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Statement from International Peace Bureau

At the International Peace Bureau Conference DISARMAMENT IN COLOMBIA: BEYOND WAR, TOWARD THE CONSTRUCTION OF CULTURES OF PEACE (Prepcomm for Berlin Congress Disarm! For a Climate of Peace) organized in cooperation with the University El Bosque and other partners, attendees received with joy the news of the signing of the final peace agreement between the Government and the FARC – EP.

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This is undoubtedly the most important historical event in the recent history of Colombia. It is the triumph of dialogue over weapons, after more than 50 years of armed struggle, in which neither the FARC nor the government won a victory by military means. It left behind many victims among not only the warring parties, but also mainly civil society, as well as damage to the environment and the national infrastructure, and with serious impacts on culture and the national imagination. It took four years of negotiation and dialogue to achieve what was not achieved by force of arms.

In this period, parallel to the war and the various forms of violence that hit the country, movements of resistance and of peace building also emerged, which allowed communities, despite pain and death, to survive and create a future. It is ALSO thanks to them and pressure from sectors of civil society that the fighting ends, due to their persistence in insisting that the ways of force and violence will not lead to peace.

This agreement is an important step towards peace. It means the abandoning of weapons, which is undoubtedly very important, but this process has to continue in order to reach an agreement also with ELN – Ejército de Liberación Nacional and other insurgent groups. The next step is the ratification of the agreement by the whole population in a plebiscite that will happen on 2 October. The third and most important step is undoubtedly the implementation of the agreements. The land reforms, the incorporation of former combatants into civil society; the quest for a more just and equitable society; the structural changes that guarantee human rights for all people, including the indigenous and the afro-Colombian communities; the cultural changes that allow people to recognize, respect and value differences; and finally reconciliation, forgiveness and guarantees of non-repetition.

The challenges involve first the state and the government as well as the FARC and major institutions, the church, academia, the trade unions and civil society as a whole. Implementing the agreements is a task that starts from the various localities and regions, recognizing the progress they have made, and the resistance that has created the life and strength that is needed today. Then comes the commitment of all citizens of the country. We urge that those Colombians now somewhat skeptical of the Havana agreement overcome their reservations and fully join in developing our potentials and dreams so that Colombia can become a country based on the ideals of a culture of peace.

We join Facundo Cabral, the Argentinean singer, in saying: This is a new day to start again …with hope, dreams, work and action.

(Thank you to Amada Benavides for sending this to CPNN)

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

See the CPNN bulletin: Peace in Colombia