An Uncertain Peace: Assessing the U.S. Role in the Colombian Peace Process

This report is the final product of a global policy practicum at Dartmouth College, studying the genesis and implementation of the peace accords signed in 2016 between the Colombian government and the FARC. The report provides relevant background, analysis, and actionable recommendations for the U.S. around the primary research question: What role, if any, does the U.S. have in the implementation of the Colombian peace process? Following the class’s research on campus, it spent an additional two weeks in Colombia speaking with relevant stakeholders in the U.S. and Colombian governments, nongovernmental organizations, social activists and humanitarians, conflict victims, art collectives, and former guerillas at FARC reintegration camps. The report outlines recommendations for U.S. policymakers in five principal areas for peacebuilding: (1) Rural Development and Reform, (2) Countering the Drug Trade, (3) Disarmament and Socioeconomic Reintegration of FARC, (4) Political Reintegration of the FARC, and (5) Transitional Justice and Human Rights.