In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group experts Renata Segura and Elizabeth Dickinson about Colombia’s presidential election, in which right-wing outsider Abelardo “El Tigre” de la Espriella won by a razor-thin margin. They unpack a bitter campaign and what the result reveals about a country still deeply divided. They assess outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s legacy and the failure of his “total peace” policy, which sought to reduce violence through dialogue with Colombia’s many armed and criminal groups. They explain how those groups increasingly exert power by controlling civilians and local economies, rather than primarily by fighting the state. They also discuss De la Espriella’s promised security crackdown, the dangers it could bring, Latin America’s rightward shift and what to watch as he takes office.
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