Virgilio Barco Vargas

Virgilio Barco Vargas was a Colombian Liberal politician who served as president from 1986 to 1990. His government pursued peace negotiations with armed groups and reforms to strengthen local democracy.

Palacio de Justicia siege: A 1985 attack and military retaking of Colombia’s Supreme Court building that left scores dead. The siege intensified the security crisis Barco inherited when he took office.
M-19: A Colombian guerrilla movement founded in 1974 that demobilized and entered politics in 1990. Barco’s government negotiated with M-19 before its transition into legal politics.
Belisario Betancur: A Colombian Conservative politician who served as president from 1982 to 1986. Betancur preceded Barco and began peace initiatives that Barco later revised.
National University of Colombia: A public research university founded in 1867, with campuses across Colombia. Barco studied civil engineering there before pursuing further education abroad.
National Constituent Assembly of Colombia: The elected 1991 assembly that drafted Colombia’s current constitution. Barco’s administration helped create the political conditions for the constitutional process that followed his term.
National Liberation Army (Colombia): A Colombian Marxist guerrilla organization founded in 1964 and commonly known as the ELN. Barco pursued peace talks with the ELN, though they did not produce a final agreement.
César Gaviria: A Colombian Liberal politician who served as president from 1990 to 1994. Gaviria succeeded Barco and oversaw the 1991 constitutional changes.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: A private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, founded in 1861. Barco earned a master’s degree in civil engineering at MIT.
Colombian Constitution of 1991: The constitution adopted in 1991 that reorganized Colombia’s institutions and expanded rights. Its reforms carried forward the institutional renewal pursued during Barco’s presidency.
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia: A Colombian Marxist guerrilla organization founded in 1964 and commonly known as the FARC. The FARC remained outside the demobilization agreements reached during Barco’s term.

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