FARC spark into politics

A malachite sunbird flits down onto our little sugar-water bottle, sips quickly, looks up and scans, sips again. That stuff is so sweet! But then the balance between sweetness and caution becomes too great and it zips away. It's all about how much to give up to get what you want. Peace seems to be breaking out all over the place. In the same week, we read of Iran and the US trying for a preliminary deal on Iran's nuclear programme, while in Colombia the rebel group FARC is talking with government about renouncing war for politics. Naturally, sceptics abound on all sides. No doubt Iran is hurting after tough sanctions have knocked back its oil exports and cut access to international banking networks. In Colombia the government has pursued a vigorous military campaign against FARC for many years, severely clipping its wings. Ex-president Alvaro Uribe, whose earlier clamp-down on FARC has ultimately led to this peace process, opposes any deal. Many remember the thaw a decade ago which FARC cynically used to regroup and relaunch its programme of kidnapping, terror and drug dealing. Deal-making is complicated. Both sides must get some of what they want and but neither can get most. Somewhere in between is a medium, not necessarily a happy medium, but one that can work. The alternative of continued conflict is lose-lose but often the sad outcome of failure. Colombia is one of my favourite economies with a steady record of good growth, low inflation and solid management. A deal with FARC would most likely reinforce this despite the sceptics. The QSL is from Radio Fantasia, heard on AM in Johannesburg in 1986, one of a small handful of Colombian AM stations I've verified.