The FARC’s record in previous peace talks reveals a penchant for manipulating negotiations to gain national and international legitimacy without actually being willing to strike a deal. Santos could, therefore, have been tempted to choose the Sri Lanka way – a ruthless military onslaught to defeat the insurgents, at the price of major human-rights violations and the destruction of civilian communities.
但是，谈判的悲观者和反对者也不是没有道理。FARC在此前和平谈判中的案底表明他们惯常于操纵谈判在并无形成妥协的实际意愿的情况下获得国内和国际合法性。因此，桑托斯很可能会步斯里兰卡后尘，用无情的军事攻势瓦解叛军，但这样做的代价将是严重的侵害人权和毁灭平民社区。