From a 50- year civil war to peace talks: FARC and Colombia

Until the end of the Cold War, the states fighting against terrorism have mostly focused on military methods as a means of struggle, ignoring other factors that have affected terrorism. In other words, in order to succeed in the struggle with terrorism, ignoring the need to work in harmony with society-military struggle-politics has led to the solve the terrorism problem for many years in many other countries as well as in Colombia. After discussing the concepts of war and security, this study examines the development in security issues and the evolution of war and security since the end of the Cold War. Within this framework, this study focuses on terrorism, guerilla and minority issues, with a special focus on Colombia and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC). This work investigates the 50-year conflict and the recent peace process. In this context, how internal factors such as the heads of state and external factors such as international organizations and other states have affected this conflict and recent peace negotiations between Colombia and FARC will be examined. From an historical perspective, it can be argued that the origin of the conflict in Colombia goes back to the 1600s when the problem of discrimination led later to that political, social and economic problems that created an environment for the emergence of terrorism. It can also be argued that both internal and external factors play an important role in the solution process of this conflict. As an internal factor, the importance of the political leaders is noticed to end the conflict period. It has been understood that, in the past, the efforts of the statesmen to solve the problems in Colombia only together with military led to the emergence of the FARC. In the recent period, the choice of more democratic solutions such as constitutional reforms to solve the conflict problem was the most important contribution to today's peace talks. As an external factor, the role of regional states and the states which dominate the international system have been critical for both the emergence and continuation of the conflict and the continuation of the solution process. In addition to this, it has come to conclusion that international organizations are important factors for the end of the conflict period and peace talks.