Is There an Acceptable Level of Violence in Colombia? (Washington Times "Potus Notes" blog)

The Washington Times "Potus Notes" blog quotes CGD senior fellow Kim Elliott on violence against union workers in Columbia.

From the article:

Kimberly Elliott, with the Center for Global development, supplied numbers from the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, showing a decline in murders from 2000 to 2007.

2000: 135

2001: 185

2002: 184

2003: 90

2004: 99

2005: 70

2006: 78

2007: 26

“The $64,000 question really is, what is enough? What is it that the Democrats would regard as sufficient progress to go ahead and be wiling to vote on a free trade agreement?” Elliott said.

“The Bush administration pushed them to be specific, the Colombian government pressed them to be specific, and so far, they haven't been willing to do that,” she said. “Now, my understanding from folks I've talked to is they were waiting for President Obama to get into office, and someone ... is supposed to be working on an action plan for Colombia that will then set the framework for what it's going to take to actually get a vote on the agreement.”

Read the article