In her 2003 book, More Terrible than Death, Robin Kirk provides an excellent background on the conflict in Colombia that is both comprehensive and easy to read. This book is an excellent resource to develop a framework for understanding the many complex sides of the conflict. More Terrible than Death relates the personal backgrounds of key political figures to the experience of ordinary citizens and those who stand up for human rights. Robin Kirk incorporates her own experience working with Human Rights Watch in Colombia. These personal accounts demonstrate the real impact of historical narratives and current events. Kirk pays particular attention to the impact of US policy in Colombia. The book culminates with a powerful plea for greater attention to human rights in Colombia.
“As Kirk writes in her prologue, this is a story of truth, in all its complexity, ‘a fabric of perceptions and lived experience.’ Kirk does not dismiss Colombia as a nation trapped in a hopeless cycle of violence, but she has faith that most Colombians want peace… She calls for hope in the power of individual choices, quoting her colleague Josué Giraldo, ‘To give up is more terrible than death.’”
Read the full review by MCC Washington Office intern Kaia Vereide (PDF)
Posted by Theo Sitther 
The damage that border walls have caused is alarming. To date, infrastructure has been built across more than 600 miles of our shared international border with Mexico. Walls have separated families, caused damaging floods and erosion, and fractured habitat and migration corridors vital to wildlife that has been pushed to the brink of extinction.
