But true peril lies in fears based on irrational logic: “Since you are different from me, you must want to harm me” “Since you come from elsewhere, you must want to take what rightfully belongs to me”. It is a human instinct to protect ourselves from “the others” and whatever danger “the others” may pose, whether real or imagined.

So, I wondered: why would people vote against something that they have been wishing for so long? What I didn’t realize then was that there was another, more pressing question: where would the FARC go after it disbands? Thus, their dissolution has been something the Colombian government has been trying to achieve since the 1960s. Their activities - terrorism, kidnapping, distributing drugs, recruiting children as soldiers - have run havoc on many lives. But the problem lies in the mismatch of ideology and practice.

They were created specifically to protect the people. Just based on its origin, these rebel groups do not seem like the classic villains. It was in the backlash of these tragedies that the disenfranchised poor gathered to form the FARC and the ELN. In the name of Accelerated Economic Development (AED), the government kicked out small-scale farmers from their land and gave it to those who were willing to mass produce for the purposes of exportation. And while the popular vote did not count for anything, the political elites united and began working against the people. Ten years of rioting aptly called La Violencia followed, after which the Conservatives and the Liberals agreed to alternate in power regardless of the popular vote. But it was a single event, the assassination of charismatic Liberal Party leader and presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán in 1948, that set into motion FARC’s conception. And through Colombia’s history, the fierce competition between the Liberals and the Conservatives often became bloody, resulting in a succession of civil wars. The large economic gap created a two-party system, with each party at each end and not much middle ground. Haves have a lot to lose have-nots have nothing to lose. Looking at Colombian history as a whole, one can consider the FARC and the ELN as byproducts of colonialism and the political divide it subsequently produced. But first, to understand Colombian politics, we must examine why and how these rebel groups were formed. And though there isn’t one straightforward answer, learning about the political situation in Colombia gave me a frame of reference to grasp what is going on elsewhere. So, why do people around the world vote against peace, unity, and progress, against choices that obviously make sense? This question has been plaguing me for many months. This result was as surprising and unpopular as Brexit and the current US president. The “No” had taken the day by the stupendously narrow margin of 0.2%. A nationwide referendum had just voted against the peace deal. However, back in October when I was about to travel there, a resolution of this ongoing conflict seemed unlikely. Such momentous steps towards progress have been possible due to the successful peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The following day, just outside Quito, Ecuador, the Colombian government began official talks with the ELN. On February 6th, the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia’s second largest rebel group, released Odín Sánchez, a former congressman they had been holding hostage for the previous nine months.

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