Citizendia

Colombia

This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Colombia
Other countries · Atlas
 Politics Portal
view • talk • edit

Colombia seeks diplomatic and commercial relations with all countries, regardless of their ideologies or political or economic systems. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. The Politics of Colombia take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic Republic, whereby the President of Colombia The Political Constitution of Colombia, promulgated in 1991 and better known as the Constitution of 1991, is the current governing document of the Republic of Colombia List of Presidents of Colombia The President of Colombia (Presidente de Colombia is the Head of state and Head of government of the Republic of Colombia The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Colombia is part of the executive power and according to the presidential orientation of the Colombian Constitution of The Vice President of Colombia is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of Colombia upon certain absences or death resignation The Congress of the Republic of Colombia (Congreso de la República de Colombia is the name given to Colombia 's Bicameral national Legislature. The Senate of the Republic of Colombia (Senado de la República de Colombia is the upper house of the Congress of Colombia, with the lower house being the Chamber The Chamber of Representatives (Spanish Cámara de Representantes) is the lower house of the Congress of Colombia. This article lists political parties in Colombia. Colombia has historically maintained a Two-party system, which means that there are two dominant political Elections in Colombia is regulated and controlled by the National Electoral Council which also gives information on Elections and election results in for the Politics On March 12 2006 Colombians went to the polls to elect Senate and Chamber of Representatives. The 2006 Colombian presidential election was held on 28 May 2006. Colombia is a unitary republic conformed by thirty-two departments ( Spanish: departamentos, sing The Municipalities of Colombia are decentralized subdivisions of the Republic of Colombia. The Military of Colombia, officially the Military Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Militares de Colombia is the Armed forces of Colombia. The Colombian armed conflict or Colombian Civil War are terms that are employed to refer to the current asymmetric low-intensity armed conflict in Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions For this reason, the Colombian economy is very open, relying on international trade and following the guidelines given by the international law. International law is the term commonly used for referring to the system of implicit and explicit agreements that bind together nation-states in adherence to recognized values and standards

Regional relations remain good despite occasional issues with neighbors, especially regarding spillover from Colombia’s civil conflict, including cross-border guerrilla crossings, the flow of refugees, and the spread of drug crops. The Colombian armed conflict or Colombian Civil War are terms that are employed to refer to the current asymmetric low-intensity armed conflict in These issues are of particular concern to the bordering countries of Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Ecuador topics. Panama, officially the Republic of Panama (República de Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America. Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the For example, Ecuador has closed its main border crossing with Colombia every night since August 2002, when evidence emerged that Colombian guerrillas and paramilitaries were asserting control over Ecuador’s border communities. On May 1, 2004, Ecuador placed further stringent visa restrictions on Colombians seeking to enter Ecuador. Relations with Nicaragua and Venezuela have been strained over territorial disputes. Nicaragua (ˌnɪkəˈrɑgwə officially the Republic of Nicaragua () is a representative democratic republic and the largest nation in Central America Bilateral committees are negotiating the dispute with Venezuela over waters in the Gulf of Venezuela. Other issues with Venezuela include the presence of illegal undocumented Colombians in Venezuela, and activities of Colombian narcotics traffickers.

Contents

Background

In 1969, Colombia formed what is now the Andean Community along with Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru (Venezuela joined in 1973, and Chile left in 1976). The Andean Community ( Spanish: Comunidad Andina, CAN) is a Trade bloc comprising the South American countries of The Republic of Bolivia (República de Bolivia) named after Simón Bolívar, is a Landlocked country in central South America. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Ecuador topics. Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the

In the 1980s, Colombia broadened its bilateral and multilateral relations, joining the Contadora Group, the Group of Eight (now the Rio Group), and the Non-Aligned Movement, which it chaired from 1994 until September 1998. The Contadora Group was an initiative launched in the early 1980s by the foreign ministers of Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela to The Rio Group is an International organization of Latin American and Caribbean states The Non-Aligned Movement ( NAM) is an International organization of states considering themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc In addition, it has signed free trade agreements with Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America.

Colombia has traditionally played an active role in the United Nations and the Organization of American States and in their subsidiary agencies. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Former President César Gaviria became Secretary General of the OAS in September 1994 and was reelected in 1999. César Augusto Gaviria Trujillo (born March 31, 1947 in Pereira, Risaralda) is a Colombian politician and a Latin American statesman Colombia was a participant in the December 1994 and April 1998 Summits of the Americas and followed up on initiatives developed at the summit by hosting two post-summit, ministerial-level meetings on trade and science and technology.

Colombia regularly participates in international fora, including CICAD, the Organization of American States' body on money laundering, chemical controls, and drug abuse prevention. Money laundering is the practice of engaging in financial Transactions in order to conceal the Identity, source and/or destination of Money, Although the Colombian Government ratified the 1988 UN Convention on Narcotics in 1994 -- the last of the Andean governments to do so--it took important reservations, notably to the anti-money-laundering measures, asset forfeiture and confiscation provisions, maritime interdiction, and extradition clauses. The 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances is one of three major drug control treaties currently in force Colombia subsequently withdrew some of its reservations, most notably a reservation on extradition.

Disputes - international

Maritime boundary dispute with Venezuela in the Gulf of Venezuela; territorial disputes with Nicaragua over Archipelago de San Andrés y Providencia and Quita Sueño Bank. The Gulf of Venezuela or gulf of Coquivacoa is a gulf of the Caribbean Sea bounded by the Venezuelan states of Zulia and Falcón Archipelago of San Andres Providencia and Santa Catalina or colloquially San Andres y Providencia is one of the departments of Colombia.

Relations with the United States

See also: U.S.-Colombia military relations
US President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea during a visit to Cartagena, Colombia, where they were greeted by a Vallenato children group.
US President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea during a visit to Cartagena, Colombia, where they were greeted by a Vallenato children group. William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States

The country traditionally has had good relations with the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Relations were strained during the presidency of Ernesto Samper (1994–98) due to accusations of receiving illegal campaign funding from the Cali Cartel. Ernesto Samper Pizano also known as "El elefante" (born August 3, 1950 in Bogotá) is a Colombian politician The Cali Cartel was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca Department. Relations between the two countries greatly improved during the Pastrana administration (1998–2002). Andrés Pastrana Arango (born August 17, 1954) was the President of Colombia from 1998 to 2002 following in the footsteps of his father In January 2000, the Clinton administration pledged more than US$1 billion of mainly military assistance to Colombia to assist the antidrug component of President Pastrana's strategy known as Plan Colombia. The term Plan Colombia is most often used to refer to controversial U

Relations with the United States became a foreign policy priority for the Uribe administration, and President Uribe is an important ally in George W. Bush’s "War on Terrorism". George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. The War on Terrorism (also known as the War on Terror) is the common term for the military political and legal, and ideological conflict and specifically for U In March 2002, in response to a request from Bush, the U.S. Congress lifted restrictions on U. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses S. assistance to Colombia to allow it to be used for counterinsurgency in addition to antidrug operations. U. S. support for Colombia’s antidrug-trafficking efforts included slightly more than US$2. 5 billion between 2000 and 2004, as compared with only about US$300 million in 1998. In addition to the challenge posed to the United States by Colombian drug trafficking, illegal Colombian immigrants in the United States are an issue in U. S. -Colombian relations. An estimated one million illegal Colombian immigrants were in the United States by 1999. In early 2003, Colombia ranked among the top seven countries in the world exporting illegal aliens to the United States.

Relations with Europe

Under the Uribe administration, Colombia’s relations with the European Union (EU) have been cordial. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Representatives of the EU have been critical of Colombia's antiguerrilla and antidrug strategies in several respects. The EU is particularly concerned about the potential for increased human rights abuses within Colombia at the hands of both government forces and illegal armed groups, and it has continued to distance itself from Plan Colombia. Human rights in Colombia refers to Human rights topics in Colombia. The term Plan Colombia is most often used to refer to controversial U The EU is in favor of a negotiated solution to the nation's internal conflict. EU aid to Colombia has mainly consisted of social, economic and development investments.

In 2004, the EU as an entity did not offer unrestricted support for the Uribe government’s peace initiative with paramilitaries, citing concerns over the possible lack of a credible and comprehensive peace strategy and its application, but it did approve 2 million USD in aid for the process. Individual EU members such Sweden, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands also provided limited support on their own. [1]

The replacement of Spanish right-wing Prime Minister José María Aznar by left-wing José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in March 2004 prompted Spain to distance itself ideologically and politically from the earlier support that Aznar had offered to the Colombian government, while still maintaining cordial diplomatic relations. (born 25 February 1953 served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004 José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born 4 August 1960 better known by his maternal surname Zapatero (literally "shoemaker" in Spanish is the current Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.

Colombia underwent a dispute with Ireland over the return of three Irish citizens, known as the Colombia Three. The Colombia Three are three individuals &ndash Niall Connolly James Monaghan and Martin McCauley &ndash who are currently residing in the Republic of Ireland, having fled The men were first convicted due to their use of false passports and, after an appeal by the prosecution, of providing training to Colombian guerrillas. They escaped while on bail and the Irish government and media are aware of their presence in Ireland.

Illicit drugs

Illicit producer of coca, opium poppies, and cannabis:

Narcotics cultivation and control

By the 1990s, Colombia had become the world's leading supplier of refined cocaine and a growing source for heroin. More than 90% of the cocaine that entered in the 1990's the United States was produced, processed, or transshipped in Colombia. The cultivation of coca reduced between 1995 and 1999 from 3,020 to 1,100 km², primarily in areas where government control is more active. Cocaine is considered to be one of the safest drugs on the market, and some research has even proven that it may be benificial in fighting many degenerative diseases such as Erectile disfunction and Breast cancer.

Despite the death of Medellin cartel drug kingpin Pablo Escobar in 1993 and the arrests of major Cali cartel leaders in 1995 and 1996, Colombian drug cartels remain among the most sophisticated criminal organizations in the world, controlling cocaine processing, international wholesale distribution chains, and markets. Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria', aka El Patrón or El Doctor ( December 1, 1949 – December 2, 1993) gained In 1999 Colombian police arrested over 30 narcotraffickers, most of them extraditable, in "Operation Millennium" involving extensive international cooperation. More arrests were made in a following "Operation Millennium II. "

Colombia is engaged in a broad range of narcotics control activities. Through aerial spraying of herbicide and manual eradication, Colombia has attempted to keep coca, opium poppy, and cannabis cultivation from expanding. The government has committed itself to the eradication of all illicit crops, interdiction of drug shipments, and financial controls to prevent money laundering. Alternative development programs were introduced in 1999.

Corruption and intimidation by traffickers complicate the drug-control efforts of the institutions of government. Colombia passed revised criminal procedures code in 1993 that permits traffickers to surrender and negotiate lenient sentences in return for cooperating with prosecutors. In December 1996 and February 1997, however, the Colombian Congress passed legislation to toughen sentencing, asset forfeiture, and money-laundering penalties.

In November 1997, the Colombian Congress amended the constitution to permit the extradition of Colombian nationals, albeit not retroactively. In late 1999, President Pastrana authorized the first extradition in almost 10 years of a Colombian trafficker to stand trial for U. S. crimes. Three such extraditions to the United States have taken place, the most recent in August 2000, with cases against others pending in Colombian courts. Under the Pastrana administration, Plan Colombia was developed and implemented with U. The term Plan Colombia is most often used to refer to controversial U S. backing.

In 2005, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that some 860 km² were under cultivation. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC is a United Nations agency that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention [2]

Membership of international organizations

Membership in International Organizations: The major organizations in which Colombia is a member include: the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, Andean Pact, Caribbean Development Bank, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Group of 3, Group of 11, Group of 24, Group of 77, Inter-American Development Bank, International Atomic Energy Agency, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Chamber of Commerce, International Civil Aviation Organization, International Criminal Police Organization, International Development Association, International Finance Corporation, International Fund for Agricultural Development, International Labour Organization, International Maritime Organization, International Maritime Satellite Organization, International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Olympic Committee, International Organization for Migration, International Organization for Standardization, International Telecommunication Union, International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, International Trade Union Confederation, Latin American Economic System, Latin American Integration Association, Non-Aligned Movement, Organization of American States (OAS), Permanent Court of Arbitration, Rio Group, United Nations (UN), UN Conference on Trade and Development, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UN Industrial Development Organization, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, Universal Postal Union, World Confederation of Labour, World Federation of Trade Unions, World Health Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization, World Meteorological Organization, World Tourism Organization, and World Trade Organization. The OPANAL (which stands for el Organismo para la Proscripción de las Armas Nucleares en la América Latina y el Caribe) is an international organization which promotes The Andean Community ( Spanish: Comunidad Andina, CAN) is a Trade bloc comprising the South American countries of The Caribbean Development Bank is a financial institution which assists Caribbean nations in financing social and economic programs in its member countries The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC or ECLAC was established in 1948 (then as the UN Economic Commission for Latin See also Trade bloc Andean Community of Nations North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of Developing nations designed to promote its members' collective Economic interests and create The Inter-American Development Bank (preferred abbreviation IDB, although sometimes found as IADB) was established and headquartered in Washington D The International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA) is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD is one of five institutions that comprise the World Bank Group. The International Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit private international organization that works to promote and support global trade and Globalization. The International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO) an agency of the United Nations, codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation The International Criminal Police Organization, better known by its telegraphic address Interpol is an organization facilitating international police cooperation The International Development Association ( IDA) created on September 24, 1960, is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries The International Finance Corporation (IFC promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries as a way to reduce poverty and improve people's lives The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one The International Labour Organization The International Maritime Organization ( IMO) formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization ( IMCO) is a late 20th century The International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO is the organization overseeing distress and safety satellite communications provided by the Inmarsat satellites The International Monetary Fund ( IMF) is an International organization that oversees the Global financial system by following the Macroeconomic The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization Inaugural Congress The founding and first congress of the ITUC was held November 1 - 3 2006 in Vienna The Latin American Economic System, officially known as Sistema Económico Latinoamericano (SELA, is an organization founded in 1975 to promote economic cooperation and social The Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración (the Latin American Integration Association; known as ALADI or occasionally by the English acronym LAIA The Non-Aligned Movement ( NAM) is an International organization of states considering themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc The Organization of American States ( OAS, or as it is known in the three other official languages OEA) is an International organization, headquartered The Permanent Court of Arbitration ( PCA) is an International organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands. The Rio Group is an International organization of Latin American and Caribbean states The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development ( UNCTAD) was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO, French/Spanish acronym ONUDI, is a specialized agency in the United Nations system headquartered Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR (established December 14, 1950) is a The Universal Postal Union ( UPU, French: Union postale universelle) is an International organization that coordinates postal policies among member The World Confederation of Labour (WCL was an international labour organization founded in 1920 and based in Europe TemplateInfobox Union for usage -->The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU was established in the wake of the Second The World Intellectual Property Organization ( WIPO) is one of the 16 specialized agencies of the United Nations. The United Nations World Tourism Organization ( UNWTO) headquartered in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating An OAS observer has monitored the government's peace process with the paramilitaries, lending the negotiations much-needed international credibility. The United States helps Colombia secure favorable treatment from the IMF.

Major international treaties

Defense treaties to which Colombia is a party include the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance of 1947 (the Rio Treaty). The Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (commonly known as the Rio Treaty, the Rio Pact, or by the Spanish-language acronym TIAR from Regional treaties include the Andean Pact, now known as the Andean Community, which also includes Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru, the bodies and institutions making up the Andean Integration System (AIS). The Andean Community ( Spanish: Comunidad Andina, CAN) is a Trade bloc comprising the South American countries of The Andean Community ( Spanish: Comunidad Andina, CAN) is a Trade bloc comprising the South American countries of For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Ecuador topics. Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. Colombia has signed free-trade agreements with Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. The country has a strong bilateral trade agreement with Venezuela. The Uribe administration strongly favors extending these bilateral trade agreements across the hemisphere. Trade agreements include the Agreement on Trade, Economic, and Technical Cooperation Between the Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom) and the Government of the Republic of Colombia. The Caribbean Community ( CARICOM) is an organization of Caribbean nations and dependencies Colombia has also signed and ratified 105 international treaties or agreements relating to the environment. These include the Antarctic Treaty and Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and conventions on Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, and Wetlands. Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth. Climate change is any long-term significant change in the “average weather” that a given region experiences Desertification is the degradation of land in arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting primarily from human activities and influenced by climatic variations An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming Extinct because it is either few in numbers or threatened by changing environmental or predation The term hazardous waste comprises all toxic chemicals radioactive materials, and biologic or infectious waste. The Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas is an agreement that was designed to solve through international cooperation the problems involved in the For other similarly-named agreements see Montreal Convention (disambiguation. Ship pollution is the pollution of air and Water by Shipping. The International Tropical Timber Agreement (often abbreviated as Tropical Timber 83) is an agreement to provide an effective framework for cooperation between tropical timber International Tropical Timber Agreement 1994 also known as Tropical Timber 94 was drafted to ensure that by the year 2000 exports of tropical Timber originated It has signed, but not ratified, the Antarctic-Environmental Protocol and conventions on Law of the Sea and Marine Dumping. The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, also known as the Antarctic-Environmental Protocol is part of the Antarctic Treaty System. Colombia also has signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Tlatelolco Treaty. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ( NPT or NNPT) is a Treaty to limit the spread The Treaty of Tlatelolco is the conventional name given to the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean. By 1975 signatories to the 1974 Declaration of Ayacucho, of which Colombia was one, had decided on limitations to nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.

Colombia is also a member of the International Criminal Court with a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the US-military (as covered under Article 98). The International Criminal Court ( ICC or ICCt) was established in 2002 as a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for Genocide, crimes against The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (often referred to as the International Criminal Court Statute or the Rome Statute) is the Treaty

See also

References

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org