Rating: 
Summary: An extraordinary book
Review: Bert Ruiz's book is a great overall analysis of the conditions which have created modern Colombia. The description of past hostilities helped solidify the violence of today. Colombia is a land of riddles and land of dreams. She is soaked in blood and screaming for peace. The Colombian civil war is a war of oppression, a war fueled by drugs, a war of pride and a forgotten people. Mr. Ruiz thoroughly presents a scholarly triumph that explains the conditions of Colombia's instability. The research is thorough and objective. The diplomatic machinations, which have failed due to partisanship, are examples of his non-biased approach. Colombia is the new Vietnam slowly escalating into the realm of complete civil war. The stabilization of the region is in jeopardy due to these increased levels of violence. The United States must re-evaluate the issue of Colombia, aside from sending military advisors. This type of escalation led to full combat participation in Vietnam. The same conditions still apply. An international covenant with Colombia must be pursued. The United Nations focal point should rely on the creation of a platform that will lead to peace. As Bert Ruiz states, "significant social, judicial, and land reforms...must cleanse the nation of its dishonest culture of denial." It is only when this denial is cleansed that a solution to the problems of Colombia can be resolved.
Rating:
Summary: This is no ordinary war
Review: Colombia continues to find itself in the midst of "the war on drugs" and now "the war on terrorism." With the new "heavy-handed" President of the Republic of Colombia in office, promising to force one of the world's largest insurgent groups to the negotiating table again, but with results many ask, can Colombia do it? Even with the foreign military aid mostly coming from the U.S.A., will Alvaro Uribe's well-approved of Government and the Colombian military be capable of fighting the corrupt Congress, unemployment, the paramilitaries, the guerrillas, narco-traffickers, and all the while improving the military's Human Rights record? Having researched and analyzed the hoards of information available on the state of affairs in Colombia as well as the U.S. role in this mess for more than seven years in the States and in Colombia, it is safe for me to say that Bert Ruiz' "The Colombian Civil War" (McFarland &Co. Inc.) proves to be a good, compact resource including mostly traditional and some very creative resources in one book. Despite the present onslaught of books on the matter, Ruiz' research was done before, meaning that his resources were newspapers, magazines, documents and interviews. Thus, the two-column presentation, simulating periodicals, is very appropriate. Ruiz appropriately includes all involved in the Colombian conflict, not the narcos, guerrilla and paramilitaries alone, but the Colombian elite, their lawmakers as well as the international community, specifically the U.S. Government. He uses his well-researched writing to inform not only the northern academic community of Latin Americanists, but also through a unique writing style he offers those who are not up-to-date on the situation in Colombia an accessible reading to know what the U.S. elected officials are doing with over $1 billion of their tax dollars by way of Plan Colombia. It's a must-read for anyone remotely interested in the Colombian conflict and the direction of the above-mentioned money. Unfortunately, the book lacks an introduction and some well-needed sub-headings for Ruiz' ten chapters. Important historical information is splashed throughout the chapters bringing us up to the present-day state, maintaining a good and interesting pace. However, Ruiz went into too much detail, stumbling a bit, on Roosevelt's seizure of Panama. On other occasions Ruiz chose to go into more detail than necessary, however at the same time adding more of his own insights by doing so, otherwise saving his personal analyses for the afterword. During his recounts of one of the most important days in Colombian history, April 9, 1948, Ruiz shares his opinion and other theories behind the assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán. Lamentably, he excluded today's biggest researcher on the Gaitán assassination, Paul Wolf. Ruiz also dedicates a great deal of his writing to the "war on drugs" and diplomacy, discussing too briefly the topics of consumption, legalization or the control of chemicals used to produce narcotics from the coca leaf, topics which must be dealt with from the north, yet are extremely important issues regarding the future of Colombia. The author provides the points of views from Washington and Bogotá well regarding the "war on drugs'" certification process, but there is very little mention of the contradictions from Washington, and surprisingly none of Ex-President Clinton's clemencies as he left office. Adding another surprise he dedicated two pages to Colombia's assassinated beloved comic, journalist and political activist, Jaime Garzón. Ruiz provides extensive endnotes and bibliography, hopefully tantalizing the American and international public into learning more about the situation in Colombia, the largest recipient of U.S. military aid in recent years.
Rating: 
Summary: Good reference resource on the Colombian conflicts
Review: Colombia continues to find itself in the midst of "the war on drugs" and now "the war on terrorism." With the new "heavy-handed" President of the Republic of Colombia in office, promising to force one of the world's largest insurgent groups to the negotiating table again, but with results many ask, can Colombia do it? Even with the foreign military aid mostly coming from the U.S.A., will Alvaro Uribe's well-approved of Government and the Colombian military be capable of fighting the corrupt Congress, unemployment, the paramilitaries, the guerrillas, narco-traffickers, and all the while improving the military's Human Rights record? Having researched and analyzed the hoards of information available on the state of affairs in Colombia as well as the U.S. role in this mess for more than seven years in the States and in Colombia, it is safe for me to say that Bert Ruiz' "The Colombian Civil War" (McFarland &Co. Inc.) proves to be a good, compact resource including mostly traditional and some very creative resources in one book. Despite the present onslaught of books on the matter, Ruiz' research was done before, meaning that his resources were newspapers, magazines, documents and interviews. Thus, the two-column presentation, simulating periodicals, is very appropriate. Ruiz appropriately includes all involved in the Colombian conflict, not the narcos, guerrilla and paramilitaries alone, but the Colombian elite, their lawmakers as well as the international community, specifically the U.S. Government. He uses his well-researched writing to inform not only the northern academic community of Latin Americanists, but also through a unique writing style he offers those who are not up-to-date on the situation in Colombia an accessible reading to know what the U.S. elected officials are doing with over $1 billion of their tax dollars by way of Plan Colombia. It's a must-read for anyone remotely interested in the Colombian conflict and the direction of the above-mentioned money. Unfortunately, the book lacks an introduction and some well-needed sub-headings for Ruiz' ten chapters. Important historical information is splashed throughout the chapters bringing us up to the present-day state, maintaining a good and interesting pace. However, Ruiz went into too much detail, stumbling a bit, on Roosevelt's seizure of Panama. On other occasions Ruiz chose to go into more detail than necessary, however at the same time adding more of his own insights by doing so, otherwise saving his personal analyses for the afterword. During his recounts of one of the most important days in Colombian history, April 9, 1948, Ruiz shares his opinion and other theories behind the assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán. Lamentably, he excluded today's biggest researcher on the Gaitán assassination, Paul Wolf. Ruiz also dedicates a great deal of his writing to the "war on drugs" and diplomacy, discussing too briefly the topics of consumption, legalization or the control of chemicals used to produce narcotics from the coca leaf, topics which must be dealt with from the north, yet are extremely important issues regarding the future of Colombia. The author provides the points of views from Washington and Bogotá well regarding the "war on drugs'" certification process, but there is very little mention of the contradictions from Washington, and surprisingly none of Ex-President Clinton's clemencies as he left office. Adding another surprise he dedicated two pages to Colombia's assassinated beloved comic, journalist and political activist, Jaime Garzón. Ruiz provides extensive endnotes and bibliography, hopefully tantalizing the American and international public into learning more about the situation in Colombia, the largest recipient of U.S. military aid in recent years.
Rating:
Summary: Ruiz is an engaging writer giving us a primer on Colombia.
Review: During the four months I was in Colombia I sought daily to understand the malaise and mayhem that have gripped this once promising South American nation. I would read of the killings, the kidnapping and the destruction caused by the FARC, the ELN, Death Squads, Police and Military and sadly shake my head in
dismay. I personally saw how the rich and powerful remained unscathed. I watched the television news portray President Pastrana as impotent against the forces that the people of Colombia feared. I read in local papers how the military and death squad's killing sprees of unarmed civilians continued. And I walked among the masses of the poor and oppressed, talked with widows and orphans, and knew that they were, as always, the greatest losers in this unwinnable war. It was during my last few weeks in Colombia that I picked up Bert Ruiz's "The Colombian Civil War." This book has allowed me to better understand how such maledictions could befall a once promising nation. Bert Ruiz has written a needed primer for those desiring to understand Colombia's raging war. His extensive research has untangled, as best as humanly possible, Colombia's convoluted problems. Several of his chapters stand out as stellar. Especially noteworthy are his chapters, "The War on Drugs" and the
following chapter "Death Squads." His writing is forthwith, very informative, well researched (with prolific end notes). Ruiz lays down the historical foundation that is needed to understand how this democratic nation got into such a
mess. There is finger pointing galore and no one goes without criticism. On the short shifted side, only a few pages talk about America's (or Europe's) massive need for illicit, illegal drugs which fosters the Colombian cartels, the cocaine labs, the death squads, etc. I was yearning to read more regarding the effect that the USA's drug addiction (America's 4.1 million heroin & cocaine addicts) has on sustaining Colombia's malaise. I was distracted when Ruiz flipped back in Colombia's history after taking me through to the year 2000. When I finished Chapter eight, I was engrossed in Colombia's current conflict, ready to grapple with the immediate, when, "wack," Ruiz starts his next chapter, "Northern Brothers," in 1739. Go figure. The same discontinuity happened with the needed story of Pablo Escobar. Ruiz did captured my attention about this powerful Medellin Narco boss, but left me hanging. Escobar escaped jail and does not show up until the next chapter, 25 pages later, where he meets his death. Choppy. That said, this is a very good book, dealing with a very convoluted situation. Echoing the words of John Crabtree, a visiting fellow of Latin American Studies at London university, "Colombia's crisis is amazingly complicated and entrenched . . . and (Colombia) HAS NO OBVIOUS SOLUTION." Ruiz is an engaging writer. In "The Colombian Civil War," he has given us a primer to help us understand Colombia today. This book should be a required read for students of Colombia/South America, and/or for those interested in the drug trade/problem gripping the world today. Recommended
Rating: 
Summary: The Colombian Civil War
Review: English language studies of the insurgencies plaguing Colombia are few and far between and Mr. Ruiz's treatment of this subject helps fill the void. Unfortunately, his work is based predominantly on published english language sources, mainly newspapers and weekly news magazines, omitting the many outstanding works of prominent Colombian scholars such as Gonzalo Sánchez, Ricardo Peñarando, Fernando Cubides, Donny Merteens, Daniel Pecaut and Eduardo Pizarro. The book also lacks objectivity, tending to favor the insurgents by accepting without scrunity, self-serving pronouncements by the FARC, ELN and other leftist organizations. While disappointing to academics working in this area, The Colombian Civil War is useful as a primer for readers interested in the causes, dynamics and persistence of the Colombian insurgencies and the influence of drug trafficking on this complex situation.
Rating:
Summary: A lucid account of the war in Colombia
Review: I would like to warmly reccommend anyone interested in the modern historical developments that led up to the current situation in Colombia to read this book. Ruiz clearly sets out the background without losing momentum, bringing the reader into the politcal and military quagmire of today that Colombia is trying to escape. This was the first book I read on Colombia and I was not dissapointed. The book manages to span a wide range of topics, from politics and international terrorism to drug war and human rights and still maintain focus. For an in-depth but incredibly accessible account of that country's plight, I can think of no better book.
Rating:
Summary: Very good primer marred by numerous language gaffes
Review: Mr. Ruiz is to be commended for producing a thoughtful and engaging overview of contemporary Colombia and the book is the best of several I've read so far in terms of providing a basic orientation to this conflicted land. Unfortunately, the text is marred by numerous language errors, typos and editing gaffes. There seemed to be a problem on every other page; this creates an unacceptably high annoyance level for any attentive reader. This is a great shame, because apart from these easily correctible problems, the work as a whole shines.
Rating:
Summary: Understand modern Colombia better
Review: Ruiz has done a great service for anyone wanting to understand modern Colombia. I was pulled in to the narrative in the first two paragraphs and finished the 261 page book within two weeks. In short, this is my first pick for a book dealing with the history and politics of modern Colombia. Ruiz winds his narrative from recent events back to those of earlier in the 20th century, providing a good foundation for understanding why Colombia exists as it does. His chapter, "The Genesis of Violence" explains the events leading up to La Violencia better than any other book I've read. His recounting of the rise of Gaitán, and his assassination on April 9, 1948 is brilliant, although the events themselves are heart-breaking. He helped me better understand the politics of the guerrilla movement, the military, and the paramilitary death squads. Ruiz also includes a whole chapter on the United States relationship to Colombia over the years, which was eye-opening for me.
Rating:
Summary: Understand modern Colombia better
Review: Ruiz has done a great service for anyone wanting to understand modern Colombia. I was pulled in to the narrative in the first two paragraphs and finished the 261 page book within two weeks. In short, this is my first pick for a book dealing with the history and politics of modern Colombia. Ruiz winds his narrative from recent events back to those of earlier in the 20th century, providing a good foundation for understanding why Colombia exists as it does. His chapter, "The Genesis of Violence" explains the events leading up to La Violencia better than any other book I've read. His recounting of the rise of Gaitán, and his assassination on April 9, 1948 is brilliant, although the events themselves are heart-breaking. He helped me better understand the politics of the guerrilla movement, the military, and the paramilitary death squads. Ruiz also includes a whole chapter on the United States relationship to Colombia over the years, which was eye-opening for me.
Rating:
Summary: A Tale of Terror
Review: This is a book about terrorism. State terrorism, paramilitary terrorism and guerrilla terrorism. What makes this book significant is that it provides a historical look at the terrorism. In the end one can only shake one's head in utter amazement. Because surely the people of Colombia deserve a better fate. And although the U.S. is helping Colombia. The terrorism does not abate. This is a very good book. Well written and researched. It is easy to understand and hard to put down.
| 
