Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

El conflicto de Leticia (1932–1933) y los ejércitos de Perú y Colombia

2019; Duke University Press; Volume: 99; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1215/00182168-7575712

1527-1900

Richard J. Walter,

Conflict, Peace, and Violence in Colombia

Border conflicts in Latin America have a long history. Some, like the late nineteenth-century War of the Pacific involving Bolivia, Chile, and Peru, witnessed bloody fighting, occupation of enemy territory, and lasting effects and consequences felt down to the present day. Many others featured relatively short-term occupations and only minor skirmishes.The conflict between Peru and Colombia over the Leticia trapezoid, granted by treaty to Colombia in 1922, falls into the latter category. It began in 1932 when Peruvian filibusters occupied Leticia and claimed it for Peru. It lasted until 1933, when domestic political developments in Peru led to an arbitrated settlement and a return to the status quo ante.Certain aspects of the affair had a comic opera quality. Indeed, as Carlos Camacho Arango notes in his prologue, Mario Vargas Llosa and Gabriel García Márquez once considered collaborating on a novel that would highlight its more absurd aspects. But, as Camacho Arango argues, the conflict, mostly forgotten by citizens on both sides, deserves serious treatment as a major historical event that, whatever its absurdities, cost real lives and national resources that, during a time of economic crisis, neither side could afford.Camacho Arango's book is based on his doctoral thesis at the Sorbonne. The book draws heavily on archival research in France, Great Britain, the United States, Peru, and Colombia. It is organized both chronologically and thematically. It begins with a description of the onset of the conflict and the many and mixed motivations behind it. Then Camacho Arango establishes a pattern of alternating chapters describing the course of the battles between the two competing forces and giving equal attention to the details of the respective armies' historical evolution, going back to the nineteenth century and carrying the story forward to the time of the conflict. In so doing, he provides a fine-grain analysis of the inner workings of each nation's army—its recruitment and promotion patterns; the makeup of the officer corps; the background, racial composition, and training of its troops; and the influence of foreign missions. For Peru, the French influence was predominant; for Colombia, it was mostly Swiss influence but also some connections with Peru's archrival, Chile. The United States also played a role, especially in providing aircraft to both sides.Some readers who want a more straightforward narrative may find the organizational structure confusing. However, Camacho Arango's approach allows for an extremely clear and valuable context in which to view the evolution of the military conflict on the ground. Not only does he provide an extremely thorough analysis of the similarities and differences between the two competing armies, but he also pays careful attention to the domestic political situation in each country and its impact on the conflict. In Peru, the 11-year dictatorship of Augusto Leguía ended and was replaced by the populist government of army officer Luis Sánchez Cerro, and the appearance of Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre's Peruvian Aprista Party was a major factor in the nation's political life. In Colombia, the long rule of the Conservative Party ended with the election of Liberal Enrique Olaya Herrera. In the last analysis, it is the assassination of Sánchez Cerro in 1933 and the assumption by General Óscar Benavides of the presidency that led to a final resolution of the Leticia conflict. Thanks to arbitration efforts by the League of Nations and a later agreement signed in Rio de Janeiro, the Peruvians abandoned Leticia and the Colombians regained full control.There is much to commend in Camacho Arango's treatment of this subject. Despite what one might expect from a Colombian author, he deals with the conflict in an extremely evenhanded manner, providing a balanced perspective throughout. As mentioned, the archival research is extensive and provides much original information and insights from a wide variety of sources. The writing, for the most part, is clear and engaging. The detailed descriptions of the various military engagements, enlivened by personal observations from many of the participants, are aided by a judicious use of helpful maps of unfamiliar territory.While it may be unfair to ask the author to have done more, he might have made more explicit the connection between the strengths and weaknesses of the two militaries and the results on the battlefield. Also, more might have been said about the diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict. The role of the League of Nations, for example, only appears near the end of the story, and the efforts of the United States to resolve the dispute are barely mentioned.These quibbles aside, Camacho Arango has provided us with a monumental study not only of the conflict itself but also, and perhaps more importantly, of the history of the two armies involved. While one is reluctant to call any work of history definitive, Camacho Arango's work will be the standard by which any future attempt to examine the conflict over Leticia will be judged.