August 2022
Case
HBS Case Collection

Negotiating Peace in Colombia

Format:Print
| Language:English
| Pages:20

Abstract

This case follows the protracted armed conflict between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), tracing it from its origins over 50 years ago, through the private and public negotiations that ultimately resulted in the 2016 comprehensive peace agreement. The case takes the perspective of Colombia’s President (2010-2018), Juan Manuel Santos, who must craft a strategy for ending the armed conflict, and then decide what to do after his signature achievement, a peace agreement painstakingly negotiated to end the 52-year civil war, is narrowly defeated in a national referendum. The case allows for the discussion of the barriers to deal-making in difficult, high-stakes, and complex disputes, as well as the keys to overcoming these barriers when numerous previous attempts to negotiate an agreement have failed. The case also sheds light on the leadership and strategic challenges that surface when you have to manage a diverse group of powerful stakeholders, all with a different view on what constitutes a just peace.