Exploring in detail the misdirected and devastating impact that millions of dollars of annual U.S. military aid continues to have on the war-torn people of Colombia, this concise book offers a brief history of the country as well as an analysis of the complex forces driving Colombia's decades-old guerrilla war. Ultimately, Murillo argues that the conflict in Colombia is not about drugs, nor guerrillas, nor terrorism', but about the unwillingness of the country's elite to open up spaces for democratic participation in economic, social and political areas.'