Reflection

The bulk of my independent research up until now has been focused on studying the link
between civil conflict and wealth inequality in Colombia. Having spent eight hours studying
Colombia, I am now confident enough to narrow down the scope of my working goal (which was
originally about Addressing Wealth Inequality and economic development in Latin America) to
simply addressing wealth inequality and economic development in Colombia.
I would spend at least an hour a day reading from one of three sources that describe in
detail how insurgencies such as FARC, drug cartels, and narco terrorists were able to use a
corrupt financial system riddled with loopholes in order to launder large amounts of currency
and twist the extreme wealth inequality in rural backwaters to their advantage. I also read about
the results several decades of war have had on the Colombian economy and Colombian
society. My mentor from Rice Universitys Baker Institute pointed me to these sources. I
discovered that analyzing groups like FARC is important for several reason. First, I developed a
better understanding of how intense wealth inequality can lead to intense discord. Second, I
found out just how devastating the cultivation of illegal crops can be to sustainable
development. Third, I learned why a widely accepted legitimate central government is necessary
in order to encourage economic growth. Finally, I was amazed to find out just how important our
consumption patterns can be to the future of economic development in poorer countries such as
Colombia.
The articles and books I read were written as policy analyses and offered suggestions
on what the Colombian and United States government can do in order to encourage
sustainable development. Very often I would run across terminology that was either completely
foreign to me or simply used in a unique context that I found difficult to understand. This
occurred more frequently whenever I read sections on financial institutions and read about
complex money laundering schemes practiced by large drug cartels smuggling cocaine into the
U.S and Western Europe. I also had to study a bit of Colombian history in order to grasp the
current situation a bit more thoroughly, which meant reading about the rise of insurgencies and
narcotrafficking. The reading, however, was not particularly strenuous and often referenced
people, events, or ideas that I am already familiar with. What was most important to me was
reading the policy suggestions made by topical experts because they gave me better idea of
how economic sustainability can be achieved and thus wealth inequality alleviated.
The hardest part of finding these sources was waiting for my mentor to respond to my
questions. However, I will be meeting with him on September 17th and I look forward to asking
him for more sources in person. Overall, my research on Colombia has been intriguing. It has
shown me how different issues can coalesce to have an impact on even larger challenges such
as wealth inequality. I look forward to studying these disparate yet interrelated factors in the
upcoming weeks and months.

Source A
Citation: Cook, Thomas R.. "The Financial Arm Of The FARC: A Threat Finance Perspective."
Journal of Strategic Security 4, no. 1 (2011): 19-36.
Source Validation: The Journal of Strategic Studies is a reputable source because many of its
contributors are specialists that serve or have served with the Global Defense Technology and
Systems and/or works in the field of Counterterrorism.
How did you find this source?: I found this source through my mentor.
Intended audience: This article was not loaded with as much field specific terminology as
many of the other other articles I have read so I assume it is meant for well-read individuals
rather than specialists.
What arguments/topics does this source discuss? This article is about the rise of FARC and
how it differs from narco trafficking groups. It also covers the issue of how such groups were
able to obtain financial success at the expense of the rule of law and security. Most importantly,
it explains why such groups have impeded economic growth and exacerbated stagnation and
wealth inequality. It also touches on the issue of corrupt financial systems preventing Columbia
from reaching its full economic potential.
Minimum 3 quotes, paraphrases, summaries of source text that seem likely to be helpful
in future writing:
- Once the FARC had integrated with the local community, they set prices,
controlled marketplaces, extorted from foreign companies, and provided public services.
- "At this stage, the insurgent groups are vulnerable to the state's coercive
apparatus, and consequently they concentrate on searching for resources that require
minimal exposure and yield benefits only once. The crimes most common in this
predatory mode are episodic extortion, bank robberies, and random kidnappings."
- Coca acted as a gateway to a much wider range of economic activities. The
FARC used its growing military and state-making powers to break out of its traditional
areas of control.
Justification
This article was 33 pages long and contained lingo that I was not completely familiar with and
thus had to research. As a result of both the difficulty and the length it took me around three
hours to read.

Source B

Citation: COLOMBIA: PEACE AT LAST? Rep. no. 45. International Crisis Group, 25 Sept. 2012.
Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
Source Validation: The International Crisis Group is a reputable source because many of it cites
its sources extensively and often provides policy to the British government.
How did you find this source?: I found this source Google Scholar.
Intended audience: This article is aimed at a well-read audience that is aware of global events
and understands basic economics and Colombian history.
What arguments/topics does this source discuss? This article discusses the future of
Colombia after the signing of the peace deal with FARC. It notes that although challenges to
government authority still exist in the form of insurgencies such as ELN, the road ahead for
Colombia is far less bumpier than it has been since the 1940s. It believes that foreign
investment will soon spike. It also believes that the Colombian government will need to receive
support from international institutions if it is to successfully implement the terms of this peace
treaty.
Minimum 3 quotes, paraphrases, summaries of source text that seem likely to be helpful
in future writing:
- delivering swiftly on the reform agenda, with a priority on consolidation policy,
land restitution and other forms of victims reparation as provided for in the 2011 Victims
and Land Restitution Law; and improving protection of community leaders, human rights
advocates and endangered land recipients by mechanisms consulted with them
- The agenda has six subjects: integrated agrarian development; political
participation; termination of the conflict; solution of the problem of illicit drugs; victims;
and implementation and monitoring
- Engagement in the drug economy was instrumental in financing expansion.
Taking advantage of its presence in cultivation zones, FARC initially restricted itself to
protecting and taxing coca growers, allowing transformation of the leaves into coca base
and setting prices for buyers.
Justification
This article was 32 pages long and contained lingo that I was not completely familiar with and
thus had to research. As a result of both the difficulty and the length it took me around three
hours to read.

Source C

Citation: Holmes, Jennifer S., Sheila Pineres Amin Gutierrez De, and Kevin Curtin M. "The Effects
of Illegal Drugs and Violence on the Colombian Economy."Guns, Drugs, and Development in
Colombia. Austin: U of Texas, 2008. 157-81. Print.
Source Validation: This book was written in part by a professor at the University of Dallas who
has a PhD in political science.
How did you find this source?: I found this source through Google Scholar.
Intended audience: This article was not loaded with as much field specific terminology as
many of the other other articles I have read so I assume it is meant for well-read individuals
rather than specialists.
What arguments/topics does this source discuss? This chapter goes into detail about how
the violence from insurgencies and drug trade have prevented investments into development
from being used effectively. It also describes the dependence on illicit coca cultivation and the
fact that much of Colombias GDP is not included in conventional estimates due to a massive
black market. It also discusses the reverse migration many Colombian cities faced as
unemployed urbanites sought their fortunes in the countrys expanding coca plantations. Finally,
it points to COlombia's geography and poor infrastructure as a source of division, thus allowing
splinter groups to isolate themselves from the reach of the government.
Minimum 3 quotes, paraphrases, summaries of source text that seem likely to be helpful
in future writing:
-

Justification
This Chapter was 24 pages long and contained lingo that I was not completely familiar with and
thus had to research. As a result of both the difficulty and the length it took me around two hours
to read.