After a car bomb exploded in Bogotá on August 12, 2010, Colombia’s National Police Chief, General Cesar Pinzon, blamed leftist guerillas for being the authors of the blast. While this could be true, there is no definitive evidence at this time.
The unfolding détente between Venezuela and Colombia, a result of last Tuesday’s constructive meeting between Chávez and Santos at the Colombian port of Santa Marta, could have been the motivating factor for the terrorist act. A rapprochement between Venezuela and Colombia is essential for economic reasons. But blaming the FARC or the nation’s other leftist group, the ELN, for the car bombing appears to make very little sense, for such an act could not possibly serve the guerrilla’s cause.
Admittedly, the most likely cause of the explosion was that it was meant as a gesture against Caracol, Colombia’s main radio and television network, which is physically located close to where the bombing occurred. But this was not the only tempting structure in the neighborhood, as several EU banks line the same streets affected by the blast. The remaining question that needs to be asked is this: why would FARC commit an act resulting only in negative media attention? Whatever you say about FARC, they are not suicidal, nor do they act rashly. They would not likely choose this year to car bomb Colombia’s capital because, along with risking further admonition from Hugo Chávez, it would only fuel the negative press that they have increasingly faced.
Colombia-Venezuela: South America’s Most Preeminent Couple
– Posted on August 12, 2010
Thank you very much, dear Larry Birns!
I regard your comment on this incident as a contribution of de-escalation!
Writing from Bogota, and with all due respect, I believe this is pure speculation. Why would any group place a bomb to protest against the Santos-Chavez agreement? This agreement is not political at all. It was done with economic reasons in mind. It is mutually beneficial for the two countries to normalize trade between them. Colombia benefits from exports to Venezuela, and Venezuela in turn benefits from importing low-cost goods for Colombia. That's the real reason why ties have never really been totally broken between the two countries (and they probably never will). It is true that both Uribe and Chavez benefited politically from their rivalry, and it remains to be seen what will happen with Santos, but to speculate that the bomb was a response to the agreement recently signed (in Santa Marta, not Santa Maria) is pure speculation, without much basis to support it. Again, with all due respect to Larry Birns.
The worst thing about terrorism in Colombia is that it's becoming harder and harder to idenify its source. Without yet knowing the result of the ongoing investigation, however, it would be more appropriate to say that this is a warning to both Santos new government and to the media (represented here by Caracol radio station). It also has all the marks of a FARC action. FARC loves media attention, negative or positive. They got it and sustained for several years with the captivity of Ingrid Betancourt in the jungle. Negative attention can't get worse than that, and yet they promoted it. This was also not a suicidal nor rash action. It was well calculated and carefully performed, to cause lots of material damage, in a highly active section of the city, but minimal victims. This is how the FARC acts. But this is indeed speculation. It could have been any other group. That's the horrific aspect of it.