Acknowledgements

Crisis? What Crisis? Security Issues in Colombia

Acknowledgements

Good morning, and welcome to the National Defense University. As Ambassador Thomas mentioned in his comments, the Institute for National Strategic Studies exists to provide the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense with academic studies dealing with topics of national security. For this reason, we have organized this workshop on Security Issues in Colombia to study the overall situation in Colombia from a security perspective. Quite frankly, it is unacceptable that one of the oldest and strongest democracies in the Hemisphere is facing a serious threat to its existence, and that we should at this stage be holding such a workshop to diagnose the causes of instability and make recommendations for resolving the problem. But I must emphasize that although we will hear presentations on several aspects of governance in Colombia, we’re only working in the arena of security, for the U.S. Department of Defense and the Colombian Armed Forces. Our objective is to recommend security policy to the Joint Chiefs, the Secretary of Defense, and, if our Colombian colleagues will not be offended, to the leaders of the Colombian Armed Forces. During the final workshop, we hope to elaborate specific policy recommendations for our respective bosses. You have in your folders copies of the agenda, the list of presenters, and their biographies. We’ve assembled an impressive amount of intellectual brainpower to diagnose problems, describe conditions, explain circumstances, and elaborate solutions.

This workshop is being sponsored by the Institute for National Strategic Studies of the National Defense University and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (OASD/SOLIC). The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is collaborating by hosting the panel on the peace process. The receptions at the end of each day will be hosted by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Inter-American Defense Board.

As the editor of this book it is necessary to publicly thank several people instrumental in bringing this project to life, and without whom none of this would be possible. First, my co-organizers: Dr. Kimberley Thachuk, a visiting fellow at NDU/INSS from Simon Fraser University; Dr. Cynthia Arnson, senior program associate of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Latin American Program; and Dan Darrach, the Colombia desk officer from OASD/SOLIC. Together we negotiated the list of attendees, the presenters, the money, the topics to be addressed; together we assume responsibility for any problems or inconvenience resulting from the management (or lack thereof) during the workshop itself. I also relied heavily on several individuals for the logistics of the project, and to whom credit is due for pushing the bureaucracy to ensure the success of the project: Brenda Bennet, from the Symposia Directorate of NDU/INSS; Major Billy Sloan, a reservist on loan from the U.S. Southern Command; and Ron Nazarro, my invaluable research assistant. I’d also like to acknowledge the interpreters on whom we relied heavily during the workshop to ensure we all understand each other: Dr. James W. Zackrison and Ms. Karin Ruckhaus. Also instrumental to the production of this book were the staff at EEI Communications, who edited the English text, and the staff at Manuscripts and Translations Services, who edited the Spanish text.

James L. Zackrison
Washington, D.C., 1999

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Last Update: September 30, 2002