Opinion - Colombia news | Colombia Reports

A march for politics, not for peace

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Adriaan Alsema) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:45:59 GMT

It was a hard decision to make but I chose not to march yesterday. I decided instead to reflect on the death of the people´s president that never was, Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, and pray for the victims of Colombia´s conflict.

Colombia's need for compromise to end conflicts

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Adriaan Alsema) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:02:58 GMT

As Colombia seems to be moving away from using arms to resolve conflict, it is important to strengthen how we debate since that will be our tool to “defeat” our enemies, or maybe learn to live with them.

Colombia's real estate bubble, fact or myth?

jglade303@gmail.com (Rich Holman) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:37:26 GMT

As record numbers of visitors, investors and business people visit Colombia and see the tremendous amount of new construction taking place, one of the first questions they ask is: “Is Colombia being overbuilt, is there too much inventory, is the property market overvalued and is Colombia having a real estate bubble?" The answer is no, not yet.

Colombia Reports' readers meeting

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Adriaan Alsema) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:09:10 GMT

Colombia Reports will hold its first ever readers meeting Wednesday. The purpose of this meeting is to come to reader-endorsed changes in this website's editorial policy.

DISINFORMATION: FARC challenges government to all-out bling pissing contest

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Adriaan Alsema) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 17:39:37 GMT

Following the publication of photos showing FARC negotiator "Ivan Marquez" on a Harley Davidson motorcycle and the subsequent publication of President Juan Manuel Santos' BMW 7, the rebels further challenge Colombia's government to an all-out pissing contest.

Colombia Reports: 5 years of improvization

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Adriaan Alsema) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 12:45:13 GMT

Five years ago today I bought a domain called "colombiareports.com" and did my first-ever publication. Today, that blog is the biggest English-language news website in Latin America and I am proud as hell.

Colombia needs its Alvaro Uribes

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Kevin Howlett) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:26:09 GMT

Colombia's ex-president Alvaro Uribe just days ago brought together a group of his top supporters and political leaders to plan his assault on the ballot box in 2014.

Obama’s 2nd term: time to take affirmative steps to ensure labor, human rights in Colombia

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Gimena Sanchez / Daniel Kovalik) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 22:01:13 GMT

On Monday January 28, a week after U.S. President Barack Obama officially began his second term, 100 workers protested in front of Colombia's Ministry of Labor offices throughout Colombia.

Restarting Colombia's stagnated tourism growth

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Adriaan Alsema) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 11:01:41 GMT

The Colombian government is set to announce international tourism grew in 2012. Before you start celebrating, the real growth is way lower than Latin America as a whole, meaning Colombia is losing ground to its competitors.

DISINFORMATION: John Kerry tries being nice about Colombia, is ridiculed

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Adriaan Alsema) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 19:55:48 GMT

Candidate Secretary of State John Kerry finds himself ridiculed by the U.S. Senate's foreign policy commission as he tries saying something nice about Colombia.

DISINFORMATION: Colombia's Postobon 'promoting pink cocaine'

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Adriaan Alsema) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:10:03 GMT

Colombian drug traffickers have testified that the country's soft drink monopolist Postobon invested in the development and promotion of a new pink cocaine, say police.

DISINFORMATION: Santos voodoo doll found at Uribe's home

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Adriaan Alsema) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:23:27 GMT

Investigators have found a voodoo doll depicting Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in the home of his predecessor Alvaro Uribe.

How much does it cost an expat to live in Colombia?

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Keith Bayford) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:05:27 GMT

Well, there you are; I have asked the question about the cost of living in Colombia, but it does not necessarily mean I have the answer. But I can tell you one thing; the cost is going up very quickly.

Why I'm not supporting the campaign to kick Petro out of office

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Kevin Howlett) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 22:55:09 GMT

I am a fierce critic of Bogota Mayor Gustavo Petro. I think his government has failed. I think his government has divided the capital when we looked for unity and harmony after the disastrous Samuel Moreno regime.

What exactly constitutes an emergency in Colombia?

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Reader) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:55:12 GMT

It is 4:30AM on Friday December 7, 2012 here in Medellin, Colombia and I am putting these words to paper even if I am presently unsure if they will ever meet the light of anyone else’s day, or even if I am wise to express these thoughts? But to hell with it, I am awake since 3:30 struggling with this problem, so let me explain.

Breaking with history: Why Colombia needs a more progressive tax system

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Lars Christian Moller) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:40:42 GMT

Colombia is the seventh most unequal country in the world. Inequality here is very similar to countries such as Haiti, Angola and South Africa. The administration of President Juan Manuel Santos is uncomfortable about this and has taken a number of steps to reduce inequality, including a recent tax reform proposal.

DISINFORMATION: Dutch Tanja Nijmeijer poses nude in Colombia men's magazine

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Adriaan Alsema) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:42:14 GMT

Colombia men's magazine Don Juan announces that Dutch FARC guerrilla Tanja Nijmeijer will be posing nude in the special Christmas edition of the monthly.

How to break Medellin's worst habit: Violence

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Adriaan Alsema) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 12:18:05 GMT

Medellin seems on the brink of a new period of extreme violence. No immediate solution to these waves of violence exists, but unless we resign ourselves to being a regular victim of terror, we should seek a long-term remedy.

Senator Alvaro Uribe 2014-18?

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Adriaan Alsema) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 12:13:22 GMT

Colombia´s ex-President Alvaro Uribe is expected within weeks to announce his candidature for the Senate elections 2014 setting up a certain return to front line politics in opposition to his former Defense Minister, President Juan Manuel Santos.

Statement on the security situation of youth and cultural organizations in Medellin's Comuna 13

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Musicians from Medellin's Comuna 13) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 10:49:17 GMT

Facing information about a supposed massive displacement of youth from the Comuna 13 last week that was made public in the media, social, community and human rights organizations, together with artistic and cultural youth groups want the media and the public opinion to know that:

Statement on the security situation of youth and cultural organizations in Medellin's Comuna 13

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Musicians from Medellin's Comuna 13) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 10:49:17 GMT

Facing information about a supposed massive displacement of youth from the Comuna 13 last week that was made public in the media, Social, community and human rights organizations, together with artistic and cultural youth groups want the media and the public opinion to know that:

Are we turning a corner in the War on Drugs?

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Jeffrey Dhywood) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:21:08 GMT

A likely marijuana legalization victory in Washington and Colorado in November will transform the global drug policy debate.

Colombia´s Police and Military to get the vote?

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Kevin Howlett) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 15:57:56 GMT

Colombia's Senate Vice President, Edgar Espindola Niño has sparked controversy with an initiative to allow serving military and police officers to vote in elections, something they have been denied for over half a century.

Colombia's Police and Military to get the vote?

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Kevin Howlett) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 15:57:56 GMT

Letter from residents of Medellin's Comuna 13

a.alsema@colombiareports.com (Adriaan Alsema) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 01:33:42 GMT

While Medellin mayor Anibal Gaviria prefers to come up with any number showing a declining murder rate, ignores ongoing forced disappearances and an increasing number of cases of forced displacement, while the local police extort Comuna 13's inhabitants and actively worsen the citizens' sense of security, and while local media are too in bed with local politicians to show the inconvenient side of the story, I beg you to pay attention to what the community's side of the story is.