The Battle for Peace
The Long Road to Ending a War with
the Worlds Oldest Guerrilla Army
JUAN MANUEL SANTOS
Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2016
Translated by Joe Broderick
Foreword by John Kerry
Prologue by Felipe Gonzlez
![The Battle for Peace The Long Road to Ending a War With the Worlds Oldest Guerrilla Army - image 1](/uploads/posts/book/295271/Images/1.jpeg)
University Press of Kansas
2021 by the University Press of Kansas
All rights reserved
Published by the University Press of Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas 66045 ), which was organized by the Kansas Board of Regents and is operated and funded by Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, Pittsburg State University, the University of Kansas, and Wichita State University.
Originally published in Spanish as La Batalla por la paz: El largo camino para acabar el conflicto con la guerrilla ms antigua del mundo
Juan Manuel Santos, 2019
Editorial Planeta Colombiana S. A. 2019
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Santos, Juan Manuel, author.
Title: The battle for peace : the long road to ending a war with the worlds oldest guerrilla army / Juan Manuel Santos ; translated by Joe Broderick ; foreword by John Kerry ; prologue by Felipe Gonzalez.
Other titles: Batalla por la paz. English
Description: Lawrence : University Press of Kansas, 2021 . | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020036205
ISBN 9780700630660 (cloth)
ISBN 9780700630677 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: ColombiaPolitics and government1974 | Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de ColombiaHistory. | InsurgencyColombia. | Peace-buildingColombia. | Santos, Juan Manuel.
Classification: LCC F 2279 .S 256913 2019 | DDC ./dc
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/ 2020036205 .
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data is available.
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in the print publication is acid free and meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z 39.48-1992 .
To the more than eight million victims of Colombias armed conflict, the center and raison dtre of the peace process.
To those who were victims and for those who now will never be so.
To Celeste and Mariano, my first grandchildren, who will only learn about this war from the history books.
Santos was able to seeto have the imagination and the vision to seethat this was the moment when you could pivot to peace.... This was someone who was completely sincere in his genuine desire to change the lives of the people and to bring peace where before conflict had been the norm of thousands and thousands of people suffering.... This was a really tough thing to do. This was frankly tougher than Northern Ireland, tougher I think than any conflict I have been involved in, and I would put the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the same bracket. To have taken it this far is an extraordinary achievement.... Id say to the people of Colombia: just remember the darkest days of this conflict and what that was like. Debate, by all means, the right way to go forward but dont let this slip back. That would be a big mistake.
Tony Blair
Making peace after a long and bloody conflict is not a work for the fainthearted and you cant expect to be appreciated in the short run. You should do it if you believe it is the best way to give your kids and grandkids a better future.... I think Santos wanted to give all the Colombians a different sort of choices, and I think he was willing at the end to risk his standing in the short run to enhance Colombians standing and quality of life in the long term.... Slowly but surely, a more peaceful and more normal life has returned, making it possible for people to develop the natural resources of the country.
Bill Clinton
With the finalizing of a peace agreement between Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the longest-running war in the Western Hemisphere is coming to an end. We have witnessed, once again, that a sustained commitment to diplomacy and reconciliation can overcome even the most entrenched conflicts. This accord is a tribute to the hard work and cooperation of countless Colombian leaders and citizensacross parties and administrationswho painstakingly laid the groundwork for this milestone. I especially want to commend President Juan Manuel Santos for his courageous leadership during four years of difficult negotiations.... I think this is an achievement of historic proportions. It ultimately will be good for the region, as well as the people of Colombia. It took a lot of courage and a lot of hard work by a lot of people. And we are very proud to have played a modest part in helping the dialogue go forward.
Barack Obama
No matter what sacrifice awaits me along the path on which I begin my
journey today, I will receive it happily if, in exchange,
I can bring to Colombian families a little more well-being,
a little more justice and the divine gift of peace.
Eduardo Santos, inaugural address on assuming the presidency of Colombia, August 7, 1938
For peace I am prepared to take all the necessary risks....
Peace in Colombia is more important, very much more important,
than any personal aspiration, any dignity or any individual person.
Juan Manuel Santos, letter to President Ernesto Samper, October 11, 1997
Contents
Acknowledgments
Governing is a lonely job. In my case, however, I was fortunate to have been accompanied by many men and women who committed themselves to Colombias future and, as a result, to the search for peace. The process we carried out over more than six years enjoyed the support of a great many people, to whom all Colombians owe a debt of gratitude.
I especially want to thank the high commissioner for peace, Sergio Jaramillo; the head of the negotiating team, Humberto de la Calle; the plenipotentiary negotiators: generals scar Naranjo and Jorge Enrique Mora, Frank Pearl, Luis Carlos Villegas, Gonzalo Restrepo, Mara Paulina Riveros, Nigeria Rentera, Mara ngela Holgun, and Roy Barreras; the alternate negotiators: Jaime Avendao, Alejandro der, Elena Ambrosi, and Luca Jaramillo, and the dedicated team at the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, including Gerson Arias, Mnica Cifuentes, Juanita Goebertus, and Marcela Durn. I also wish to thank the high-level government officials who intervened in the process, including Juan Fernando Cristo, Rafael Pardo, and our ambassador in Havana, Gustavo Bell. And my brother Enrique Santos Caldern, who accompanied us at crucial moments in the negotiations.
Thanks, also, to those who served as facilitators: Henry Acosta, lvaro Leyva, and Ivn Cepeda; and to the legal consultants: Manuel Jos Cepeda, Juan Carlos Henao, Douglass Cassel, and Yesid Reyes, as well as those high-ranking military officers in active service who made up the subcommission for the ending of the conflict, the generals Javier Flrez, Martn Fernando Nieto, Alfonso Rojas, Oswaldo Rivera, and lvaro Pico, and vice-admiral Orlando Romero.
It takes two to make peace. Which is why I want to acknowledge the commitment, seriousness, and goodwill shown by the Farc negotiators and their leader Rodrigo Londooformerly Timolen Jimnez or Timochenkowho made it possible for us to reach an agreement. Ours was a debate between adversaries, arduous and difficult because of the deep differences that separated us, and if we achieved our goal it was due to the work and the persistence of everyone.