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May 20, 2006 [LINK]
Justice vs. peace in Colombia
Putting an ironic twist on the cliche, "No justice, no peace," a judge in Colombia ruled that the peace agreement that was supposed to disarm the United Self-Defense Forces (AUC) militias is not valid. Human rights groups say the deal is too lenient, but the alternative is to let the militias continue to operate as they have been, making a mockery of police protection in certain rural areas. See CNN.com. This is a perfect illustration of the imperfect, contingent nature of justice, which cannot be defined exclusively by reference to abstract principles, but must be pursued with due regard for what is feasible given the existing configuration of interests. There are no hard and fast rules about how to proceed. In some fractured societies, justice (and therefore peace) will remain out of reach for as long as leading organized groups refuse to come to terms with each other. That, of course, is the case with Iraq right now. In some former dictatorships or oppressive regimes, such as Argentina or South Africa, the transition to an open, pluralistic system is part of a series of bargains with the bad guys who used to run things, leaving some aggrieved people frustrated.
Venezuela update
The news chronology on the Venezuela page is now up to date. Reviewing Hugo Chavez's path to near-absolute power in that formerly free and prosperous country is very sobering. On two or three occasions, his opponents came close to prevailing, which might have changed the course of history in Latin America.
Posted (or last updated or commented upon): 20 May 2006, 9: 58 PM
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Hits on this page (single blog post) since July 2, 2007: 
Category archives:
(all years)
Baseball
Politics
Latin America
War
Wild Birds
Culture & Travel
Science & Technology
This (or that) year's
blog highlights
January 7, 2006 ~ DeLay gives up majority leader post
January 12, 2006 ~ Alito withstands Dems' "torture"
January 16, 2006 ~ Michelle Bachelet wins in Chile
January 19, 2006 ~ Views on Iran's nuclear ambitions
January 24, 2006 ~ Fallout from Canada's election
January 31, 2006 ~ Second (& third) thoughts on Iran
February 1, 2006 ~ The State of the Union, 2006
February 8, 2006 ~ D.C. Council votes "yes," but...
February 18, 2006 ~ Checks and balances in wartime
February 22, 2006 ~
Neocons & Neolibs: chastened alike
February 28, 2006 ~
The Dubai Ports World uproar
March 14, 2006 ~ New D.C. baseball stadium unveiled
March 24, 2006 ~ In the footsteps of France?
April 7, 2006 ~ Immigration compromise fails
May 16, 2006 ~ Bush militarizes Mexican border
June 6, 2006 ~ Alan Garcia triumphs, once again
June 9, 2006 ~
Zarqawi: The death of a terrorist
July 3, 2006 ~
Election in Mexico: too close to call
July 5, 2006 ~ North Korea goes ballistic
July 28, 2006 ~ Garcia prepares to lead Peru, again
August 4, 2006 ~ Israel invades Hezbolland
September 6, 2006 ~ "Crunchy conservatives": for real?
September 25, 2006 ~ Nationalists thwart conservation
October 3, 2006 ~ Nationals: Year in review
October 29, 2006 ~ Virginia's marriage amendment
November 7, 2006 ~ The people render their verdict
November 8, 2006 ~ Republicans lose big time
November 9, 2006 ~ Allen concedes / Election post-mortem
November 13, 2006 ~ Toward consensus on Iraq?
December 1, 2006 ~ Realism and our goals in Iraq
December 6, 2006 ~ Latin America & U.S. trade policy
December 8, 2006 ~ Iraq Study Group reports
December 22, 2006 ~ Yuletide political roundup
Blog highlights have been compiled for the years 2010-2012 thus far, and eventually will be compiled for earlier years, back to 2002.
Explanation
The "home made" blog organization system that I created was instituted on November 1, 2004, followed by several functional enhancements in subsequent years. I make no more than one blog post per day on any one category, so some posts may cover multiple news items or issues. Blog posts appear in the following (reverse alphabetical) order, which may differ from the chronological order in which the posts were originally made:
- Wild birds (LAST)
- War
- Science & Technology
- Politics
- Latin America
- Culture & Travel
- Canaries ("Home birds")
- Baseball (FIRST)
Also see: My blog practices.
Blog errata (Nobody's perfect.)
