Former Salvadoran guerrilla leader Joaquín Villalobos’ lapidary conclusion about the Colombian narco-guerrilla movement is worthy of consideration, given his unmatched insight into Latin America’s armed, revolutionary left. So is the almost tearful acknowledgement by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’s ideological guru, Heinz Dieterich, that “Chávez’s speech on the FARC (calling on it to abandon armed struggle and free its hostages) is the equivalent of unconditional surrender to Washington’s hemispheric ambition.”