# Juan Manuel Santos, former president of Colombia: A man of peace in times of war

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/juan-manuel-santos-former-president-of-colombia-a-man-of-peace-in-times-of-war/
- Published: 2026-11-07T04:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T05:24:40+00:00
- Original publisher: El País (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-11-07/juan-manuel-santos-former-president-of-colombia-a-man-of-peace-in-times-of-war.html
- Topics: Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Santos says conflicts can be resolved with committed leadership.
- He led military operations before negotiating with the FARC.
- Colombia’s 2016 peace agreement remains incompletely implemented.

## Summary

Former Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos argues that conflicts can be resolved, but that today’s leaders often lack the willingness to pursue peace. His experience spans both directing military operations against the FARC and negotiating the 2016 agreement that ended the group’s more than 50-year conflict with the state.

A decade after the agreement was signed, Santos continues to defend it and says it remains incompletely implemented. The article places his appeal for long-term, courageous leadership against a more force-driven political climate, and notes that the Doomsday Clock stood at 85 seconds to midnight in January 2026, four seconds closer than a year earlier.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.