Confronting the Brewing Storm at the Colombia-Venezuela Border, by Ben Rederstorf and Guy Mentel

Decades ago, Venezuela was a haven. Fueled by an oil boom, it was one of four Latin American countries recognized by the World Bank as an upper-middle-income economy and a bastion of stability in a region plagued by authoritarianism and economic crises. Surrounded by a toxic mix of guerrilla warfare, drug violence, and economic stagnation, millions of Colombians saw the porous Venezuelan border as a means to a better life. Today, with the direction reversed, that same border is yet again a regional pressure point with grave human and economic repercussions. Colombian authorities estimate that roughly 1 million people born in Venezuela have emigrated to Colombia over the past 20 years. With numbers likely to increase in the coming months, policymakers in Bogota are running out of time to preemptively tackle a potential humanitarian crisis—one that could at least complicate Colombian stability and the ongoing implementation of the peace accords with the FARC rebels.

Seguir leyendo,
EN:

http://www.thedialogue.org/blogs/2017/07/confronting-the-brewing-storm-at-the-colombia-venezuela-border/