July 1, 2008
In this Update:

• Urgent Action: Black Eagles Threaten Medellin Youth Network

• McCain Backer Funded Terrorist Group in Colombia
• Letter from the Field: Re-Weaving Community Inside the Drug War
• Santa Cruz Resolution to End US Military Aid
• New US Military Bases in Colombia and Peru?
• Upcoming Events!
  

In this newsletter, you will find:

• Letter from the Field: Anti-Military Concert

• Victory in Congress for Disclosure on Military Training
• Extradition of Paramilitary Leaders: Sending Away Hope for Justice and Truth
• Our Dreams Will Not Be Recruited: Oakland Youth Launch Manifesto and Make Global/Local Connections
• AMOR Burglarized: Women's Organization in Eastern Antioquia
  

May 1, 2008
In this Peace Update:

• No Better Defense than an Offense
  • Sidebar: Little Letter Creates Big Flurry
• Objector Freed by Army
• Call to Investigate US Military Policy: Report by FOR and Amnesty International
• Colombia, a Presidential Campaign Issue?
• The night of FOR and the tatabra…
  

In this Colombia Update:

• Action: Protect our Activist Colleagues in Colombia

• Soldiers Arrested for San José Massacre
• FOR Cited in Los Angeles Times Feature on Army Executions
• Regional Tensions: War and Its Costs
• Free Trade from a Non-Business Perspective
• Letter from the Field: Youth Delegation in Colombia
  

• I Am Colombia, We Are Colombia, Who Is Colombia?

• Colombian High Court Issues Landmark Ruling Protecting the Peace Community
• Berkeley Calls for Ending Colombia Military Aid, Support for Treatment
  FOR Calls for Action!

• Reflections on the Conflict In Colombia by Heidi Rhodes
• Letter from the Field by Dan Malakoff
• Join FOR for the Days of Prayer and Action
  

In this update:

• Congressional Representatives Go To Colombia

• School of America Graduates Implicated in Bogotá Bombing
• FOR Leads Civil Society Response to Libelous Attacks
• Paramilitaries Raison D’Etre: Making Businessmen Happy
• Book Review: “Down to Earth: Colombia in Depth”
• Interview with Cristina Espinal: (Im)Patiences for 26 Years
  

The following is an interview with Cristina Espinal, one of the founders of the Colombia Human Rights Committee, which currently celebrates 26 years of existence and is one of the longest-standing Colombia-focused organizations in the US. The inspiration for conducting this interview was to look back as we look forward: it’s the start of 2008 and another year of Colombia work is ahead of us. There have been successes in 2007, like a cut in military aid… but how do we measure that success in the larger scheme of things? And what are the challenges that lie ahead? As the saying goes…we stand on the shoulders of our ancestors… Cristina is not yet an ancestor, but she has been involved in State-side Colombia work for a quarter of a century! As I.F. Stone said, "If you expect to see the final results of your work, you simply have not asked a big enough question." Cristina has had both the patience not to expect immediate results and the impatience to get things done over the years. Surely we have something to learn from her.