Emperors in the Jungle: The Hidden History of the US in Panama
by John Lindsay-Poland, Duke University Press, 2003, 260 pages (paper), $18.95
A muckraking history of how the United States has used and abused the people and environment of the former Colombian province of Panama for larger aims.

The Heart of the War in Colombia
by Constanza Ardila Galvis, Latin America Bureau, 2000, 223 pages (paper), $22.95
The Heart of the War also focuses on personal stories, but of ten adults who were part of the war, on different sides, and decided to leave. Constanza Ardila Galvis worked with them for several years, then brought them together for two weeks of discussions. The author transcribed what they said, and the result is illuminating and heart-wrenching.

Killing Peace: Colombia's Conflict and the Failure of US Intervention
by Garry Leech, Information Network of the Americas
2002, 106 pages (paper), $10.00
For readers wanting to know the history and who is who in the Colombian conflict and US policy, Garry Leech's short primer Killing Peace is a cogent and balanced introduction. Leech excels in clearly explaining the roots of the war, the role of US intervention, and how drug eradication and economic globalization deepen the problem. A list of sources and index make the book easy to use.

More Terrible Than Death: Massacres, Drugs and America's War in Colombia
by Robin Kirk, Public Affairs, 2003, 311 pages (cloth) $27.50
A compelling account of Colombia's conflict and human rights crisis by Human Rights Watch's long-time Colombia specialist.

Out of War: True Stories from the Front Lines of the Children's Movement for Peace in Colombia
Sara Cameron in cooperation with UNICEF, Scholastic Press, 2001, 187 pages (cloth), $15.95
The Children's Movement for Peace in Colombia was created by children who organized both locally and nationally for peace and children's rights, including a referendum in which nearly three million children voted for which of their rights was most important. This book compellingly tells the personal stories of nine children from different classes and regions of Colombia.

Violence in Colombia, 1990-2000: Waging War and Negotiating Peace
edited by Charles Bergquist, Ricardo Peñaranda, and Gonzalo Sánchez G., Scholarly Resources, 2001, 300 pages (paper), $21.95
Some of the best recent work by Colombian scholars on the crisis facing the nation. It also includes a large section devoted to primary documents, which enables readers to get a feel for the views of the protagonists in the conflict and judge for themselves the meaning of what they say.

Changing From the Inside Out: Peace Initiatives in War-Torn Colombia
written and edited by Gretchen Alther, John Lindsay-Poland, and Sarah Weintraub. Published by the Fellowship of Reconciliation and American Friends Service Committee. 36 pages. You can order a copy for $5 (postpaid). Distribute copies in your community for a bulk rate ($20 plus $5 for postage for ten copies; $30 plus $5 postage for twenty copies).

A vivid account of the diverse efforts by Colombian indigenous, women, youth, and peasants to forge a nonviolent path in the midst Colombia's political violence. Full of stories, testimony, photos and analysis, the report brings to English-speaking readers news from Colombia that even activists rarely receive, and is the product of an extensive investigation by FOR and AFSC. The report includes profiles of the Medellín Youth Network (Red Juvenil), Women's Peaceful Path, Indigenous Guards of Cauca, Peace Communities in the Urabá region, and the town of Mogotes, as well as an overview, sources for further information, and what people can do to support these initiatives.

News Articles:

"Alternatives to War:Colombia's Peace Process"
Accord 14, ed. Mauricio Garcia-Duran

"Peace Communities in Colombia: Report Back from Mogotes"
Rosita Balch, Resource Center of the Americas, 2003

"In the Midst of War: Women's Contributions to Peace in Colombia"
Catalina Rojas, Women Waging Peace Policy Commission, 2004

"Colombia: Beyond Armed Actors, A Look at Civil Society"
ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, Spring 2003

Videos and Audio:

An American Addiction: Drugs, Guerillas, Counterinsurgency - US Intervention In Colombia
Noam Chomsky, audio CD, 60 minutes, 2000
Clinton's last act as President was to authorize $1.7 billion in military aid to Colombia. Bush has already added almost another billion dollars. In a clear, concise, and sometimes bitterly funny lecture, Noam Chomsky shows us who is getting the money, who is producing and exporting the drugs, and what the war on the ground is really about.

Plan Colombia: Cashing in on the Drug War Failure
video, 58 minutes, February 2002
With most of the US military aid under the so-called "Plan Colombia" anti-drug package delivered, Colombian President Andres Pastrana unilaterally withdraws from the peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and steps up violence in this 50-year quasi-civil war.