Oscar Naranjo: Hardline strategies are not sustainable in the long term and devalue democratic values'

"His career is, in itself, a map of both the transformation and the limitations of states in the face of organized crime: he played a key role in the downfall of Colombia's major cartels in the 1990s; led the intelligence services during the moments of greatest threat to his country; spearheaded police reforms that professionalized criminal investigations; and, as vice president, participated in the construction of peace agreements that marked a turning point in Colombia's recent history."

"The current situation, he warns, is the result of a prolonged cycle of failures: the fragmentation of organized crime into highly disruptive territorial structures; the hijacking of public debate by ideological positions that prevent evidence-based policymaking; the growing militarization of security as a populist response; the failure to strengthen intelligence, judicial investigation, and accountability; and the emergence of organizations that, after the pandemic, no longer seek merely to enrich themselves but to compete with the state for social legitimacy."

"From that perspective, Naranjo, in a video call of more than an hour with EL PAIS, argues that the region is facing a greater challenge than in the past: understanding that it is no longer enough to neutralize kingpins or deploy troops, but that one must rebuild institutional capacities, recover territories and restore meaning to the rule of law."

General Oscar Naranjo brings over four decades of operational and political experience confronting organized crime in Latin America. His record includes dismantling major cartels, directing intelligence services during peak threats, professionalizing police investigations, and participating in national peace processes. He identifies a prolonged cycle of failures driving current violence: fragmentation of criminal groups, ideological capture of public debate that blocks evidence-based policy, populist militarization of security, weak intelligence and judicial accountability, and criminal organizations seeking social legitimacy after the pandemic. He stresses that neutralizing kingpins and deploying troops are insufficient; institutional rebuilding, territorial recovery, and restoration of the rule of law are essential.

Read at english.elpais.com