Ivan Duque, the president of Colombia, has stated that his government is ready for national dialogue after days of protests caused over 20 deaths and raised international concern about police force. These protests which are set to continue on Wednesday, originally regarded the governments tax reform plan which is now canceled. The protests have now lead to a call for action against poverty and police violence. President Duque announced his goal to create a space where citizens can voice their opinions, but civil society groups claim the government has not lived up to those expectations. The Colombian police force announced they will investigate more than two dozen allegations of police brutality, where protesters claim armed groups infiltrated peaceful protests and caused violence.
This situation is an example of a corrupt government infringing on citizens’ right to speak, which seems to be very common with South American countries, especially those with suffering economies. This is important because it reveals the hidden truth behind many South American governments, although the Colombian government may be trying to do the right thing in this situation, it’ll be hard for the citizens to listen given the fact that has lied to them and done nothing to escape the economic deficit they are in. For the Colombian government it is now a matter of convincing the citizens a reform is necessary and showing them how they will recover from the devastating financial effects of the COVID lockdown.
To assess the potential for Colombia to improve their economy and nation’s overall welfare, we use the Geopolitical analysis. Geopolitical analysis focus the attention of policy makers on conditions that are likely to bring about geopolitical change. President Duque claims he is encouraging a national dialogue and his tax reform will work, but these protests are just a byproduct of his mistakes in the past that put Colombia in this economic deficit.