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Walking Ghosts: Murder and Guerrilla Politics in Colombia
 
 
Walking Ghosts: Murder and Guerrilla Politics in Colombia (Hardcover)
by Steven Dudley (Author) "The story of Josue Giraldo and his party, the Union Patriotica (UP), started with the idea of peace, of settling the long-standing conflict that had..." (more)
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Book Description
In Walking Ghosts, the author expertly crafts story after story of politicians, drug kingpins, revolutionaries and killers to map out the complicated and murderous absurdity that is everyday life in Colombia. The current government there is trying to negotiate a peace settlement with FARC, the largest guerilla group. With close to 20,000 troups, FARC remains the most powerful guerilla group in our hemisphere today. But as in Israel or Ireland, peace is not really peace. Worried about the FARC's strength and its role in the drug trade, the United States recently approved a $1.3 billion aide package to help the Colombian government fight FARC. Steven Dudley seeks to make sense of this complicated conflict by focusing on the stories of key actors in the struggle, from the earliest days to the present. He has seen the civil war up close: dead bodies, paramilitaries, guerillas, victims, and survivors. He has witnessed political parties grappling for power by any means necessary, and he's spoken to all sides and asked the difficult questions. Fast-paced and informative, Walking Ghosts presents a window into a conflict likely to shape the politics of this hemisphere for years to come.

Synopsis
"An authoritative work of modern history which is also a nail-biting page turner...Dudley writes with an appealing blend of passion and honesty and his book is absolutely riveting." - Jon Lee Anderson, "The New Yorker". "Essential reading for anyone who wants to fully understand the causes of Latin America's longest-running civil war. A brave and unflinching book." - Joseph Contreras, "Newsweek". Faced-paced and beautifully written, "Walking Ghosts" presents a window into one of the most fascinating and deadly conflicts of our time. Steven Dudley unpicks the complicated conflict between the Colombian government and FARC, the country's largest and most powerful guerrila group. He focuses on the compelling stories of key actors - politicians, drug kingpins, revolutionaries and killers - in this struggle that has plagued Colombia for the past fifty years. Dudley has seen this war up close: dead bodies, paramiltaries, victims, guerillas and survivors. He has witnessed political parties grappling for power by any means necessary, spoken to all sides and asked the tough questions to deliver this definitive new account.

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"The story of Josue Giraldo and his party, the Union Patriotica (UP), started with the idea of peace, of settling the long-standing conflict that had ripped the country apart for decades." Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning journalistic account of political genocide, 16 Jan 2004
By Bert Ruiz "author/journalist" (Pleasantville, NY) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
"Walking Ghosts: Murder and Guerrilla Politics in Colombia," by Steven Dudley is a stunning journalistic account of political genocide. To this end, the author has very likely crossed a dangerous line in Colombia's Civil War and exposed himself to enormous danger. Because by bravely documenting the links between Colombia's ruthless narco-paramilitary death squads, the Colombian armed forces, the Colombian National Police, powerful landowners and corrupt members of the two-party political establishment...he has made many bitter enemies.

This book is about the tragic rise and fall of a Colombian political party called the Patriotic Union(UP). Dudley painstakingly interviews the key political actors in the Colombian Communist Party and senior members of the FARC guerrilla organization who were responsible for the establishment of the UP. At the beginning there was much hope that the UP party could break the rigid chains of Colombia's two party system and foster a reform minded peace. However, Dudley's impeccable research demonstrates how powerful members of Colombian society were not prepared to accept a political party that was sponsored by the Communist Party and a revolutionary guerrilla army.

Consequently, a sinister dirty war was conducted. The government fell silent while the Army and well-financed paramilitary death squads exterminated the UP. The body count was horrific. A total of 111 members of the UP were murdered in 1987; 276 were assasinated in 1988; and 138 were butchered in 1989. Within five years thousands were slaughtered. The dead included UP presidential candidates, Senators, Mayors and members of Congress. Half-way through this book one will certainly question the wisdom of the Colombian government. Because by allowing the murderers to go free (97% of crimes in Colombia go unpunished)...many poor segments of Colombian society no longer have faith in the State.

This book is well written. It is hard to put down. But please be warned...the violence is brutal and Dudley objectively portrays the terrifying bloodshed inside the borders of Colombia. He also documents how paramilitaries brag of military and political support. Moreover, the author honestly hints how the United States $1.3 billion Plan Colombia funds may be helping paramilitary death squads led by Carlos Castano.

In conclusion, this is a groundbreaking book. Dudley is a former human rights worker and tier-one journalist who has dared to expose Colombia's dark secrets. The author openly admits that there is not enough room in one book for all of Colombia's victims of paramilitary violence. Dudley is a brave journalist. He dares to question how the current Colombian government is trying to forgive the paramilitaries (grant amnesty) and allow them to keep their drug trafficking wealth. In conclusion, Colombia needs a human rights truth commission like that of Peru and Guatemala. However, after finishing this book one will find that the elites in Colombia will never allow this to happen. Highly recommended.

Bert Ruiz

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