Since the 1960s, Colombia has been engaged in conflict with itself, but not the type of skirmish that took place on American soil between the North and the South, but a battle between the right wing, drug trafficking and landowner elites are all vying for authority in the region. Currently, Colombia is a divided nation; separated into 3 distinct segments each representing a different ideology for the future of Colombia. “The Northwest [is] dominated by counter-insurgent paramilitary groups; the Andean and central zone, controlled by the constitutional armed forces; and the southeast, where left-wing guerrillas predominate. (Romero) This hotbed of confrontation has raged for decades and the bloodshed appears to have no end in sight. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia [FARC] and the National Liberation Army [ELN] make up the majority of the country's guerrillas. Both groups, although not united, believe in the establishment of a Marxist political system, with the ELN seen as having the greater political aspirations of the two groups. The [AUC] United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia represent the paramilitary groups that were originally created by landowners and drug traffickers to combat intense kidnappings, extortion and political assassinations carried out by guerrillas . However, currently, “guerrillas are held responsible for 20% of political assassinations, and paramilitaries for the remaining 80%. Thus, human rights violations by the guerrillas have remained constant since 1990, but the paramilitaries have taken over the "dirty work" of the army. (Sanford) Amid all this violence, civilians are lost and bear the brunt of the brutality. "The country has the highest murder rate in the world and is the scene of a... middle of paper ...... explains the continuing struggle. All authors offered their suggestions on the mysteries surrounding the ongoing hostilities, but in all cases Colombia's future remained uncertain. Works Cited Romero, Mauricio. “Identity Changes and Contested Contexts: Regional and Paramilitary Elites in Colombia.” » International Review of Politics, Culture and Society, 2000, Vol. 14 Number 1.Robinson, Linda. “Where angels fear to tread: the turmoil in Colombia and Latin America. » World Policy Journal. Winter 1999/2000, Vol. 16 Number 4. Sanford, Victoria. “Learning to Kill by Proxy: Colombia's Paramilitaries and the Legacy of Central America's Death Squads, Contras, and Civil Patrols.” » Social Justice, 2003, vol. 30 Number 3, p63-81.UncitedSweig, Julia E. “What kind of war for Colombia? Foreign Affairs, September/October 2002, vol. Number 81 5.