There is a civil war currently being fought in Columbia, but it is nothing new to the residents of the country. Conflicts have been on going for over 100 years, in the beginning dealing with the ideological differences of the conservative and liberal parties. In 1928 an unsuccessful coup was attempted to take over the government (which was controlled by liberals), and the ensuing civil wars killed over 20,000 people. In the 1950's coffee prices fell as unemployment rose, and guerrilla groups prompted a communist revolution. The current civil war had its direct beginnings in 1964, with the foundation of ELN (by students influenced by Castro) and more importantly FARC (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia; based on Marxist beliefs). Thus the civil war is being fought between the Columbian government and these two powerful groups (along with a few smaller ones).

Some of the key issues at play are FARC's demands...