"I am grateful and honored to invite you to the Historical Memory Group of the National Commission for Reparation and Reconciliation," wrote historian Gonzalo Sánchez to Aldo Civico in a letter this week. The group is formed by scholars whose mission is to present a public report on the reasons for the emergence and evolution of illegal armed groups in Colombia. The Commission was established by an act of Congress and is chaired by the Vice President of Colombia.

A few days ago, I sat down with representative Jim McGovern, a democrat from the third district of Massachusetts. This time the opportunity was an interview for the Colombian daily newspaper El Espectador. We had crossed path before to talk about the slim chances for a peace process in Colombia, but in recent times it was the Peace without Border concert promoted by the Colombian pop star Juanes that gave us more opportunities to get together.

Last week, while I was in Colombia, I sat down with Juanita Leon, the director of the newly founded La Silla Vacia website, which offers analysis and gossips about the complex dynamics of Colombia's politics. Juanita had carefully read my book, Las Guerras de Doblecero, in which I offer the account of one of the men who played a crucial role in the formation of the paramilitary in Colombia.

When Jose Saramago wrote that a benevolent Tsunami swept Barack Obama into the White House allowing him to become the first black president of the United States, the Portuguese author defined the wave of change that brushed the entire country from west to east. During the Bush-Cheney era, thick and obscure clouds had dimmed the soul of America.