Aldo Civico, Director of the International Institute for Peace at Rutgers University and an Affiliate of the Saltzman Institute, has released a statement calling for a negotiated solution to the decades-long conflict between the Colombian government and the rebel group FARC. “The moment is ripe” for a peaceful end to the conflict, says Dr. Civico, who has studied the country both as an anthropologist and as a facilitator of the peace talks between the Columbian government and the ELN, a smaller rebel army. As Dr. Civico sees it, the conflict has become a stalemate, with the government recognizing that military victory over FARC may be impossible and the rebels finding that they are unable to overthrow the government. A peace agreement will allow the government to focus its efforts on developing Colombia, while FARC’s political presence in the country could be strengthened through negotiations.

The entire press release is available through PR Newswire.