Weak involvement, uncertain results. Bussinesmen within LatinAmerican Truth Commissions

Abstract

The forms that businessmen, entrepreneurs and business (BEB) have been involved within violence and political armed conflict in Colombia represents a huge and creative challenge. However, we still have few studies and methods to include them within memory processes and historical production. This article presents an analysis of the ways that economic agents have been part of eight of the nine truth commissions developed in Latin America what is complemented with some of the results coming from historical groups and commissions implemented in Colombia during the last 50 years. Our study found that these commissions´ final reports, barely included, and nor reported on the links and roles between businessmen and violent conflicts. They neither informed on BEB participation within social or political efforts of peacebuilding and reconciliation. In general, the reports tend to present actions and responsibilities coming from government institutions and armed legal forces, as well as the ones assumed by armed organizations and groups that confronted status quo. BEB, when are mentioned, are characterized as complice of these institutions during particular events. Our study also help us to point out three main challenges on BEB future involvement in truth commissions: 1) the need of building BEB´s institutional trust and credibility; 2) the design of anonymity and privacy mechanisms and guarantees for BEB, and 3) the necessity of building middle and long term institutional structures, in order to help knowing and understanding not only the links but also the impacts suffered by BEB within violence and armed conflict.