ABSTRACT
In 2016, the Colombian government reached a momentous agreement with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia guerrillas, the fate of which lies in post-agreement policies and actions that are in the eye of the hurricane, although the effectiveness of the State and government corruption continue to be society’s underlying and core concerns. This chapter presents “walking on two legs”; connecting peace-building with strengthening the integrity and effectiveness of the State is paramount and would create great synergy. The term “post-conflict” would inaccurately suggest that signing the agreements entails the appearance of a conflict-free country. Colombia’s war is without heroes and its peace is without greatness. Colombian society has been changing its “codes of honor” and today rejects both phenomena. Beyond the cultural change that indeed took place, the deep structures that supported, originated and financed drug trafficking and paramilitarism, and their political influence, remained almost unaltered.
