From expressing sympathy for the plight of the islanders to anger at the verdict, Colombian pride reached fever pitch. However, many consider these emotions to fuel a misguided idea of nationalism; one based on “flag waving” rather than living up to (and respecting) international agreements.
Moving forward
El Tiempo columnist Juan Esteban Constaín remarked days after the ruling that, “all nationalism is cheap.” He goes on to claim that “sovereignty is something that must be exercised every day, not only when one loses.”
Across the diplomatic gulf, Tim Rodgers of the Nicaragua Dispatch agrees. “Colombia’s response has been higgledy-piggledy and highly emotional.”
The provocative tone of President Ortega could destabilize the waters of the western Caribbean, which is of strategic importance to this country’s main ally, the United States, and the war against drug trafficking.
Making the decision particularly controversial is the potential presence of oil reserves in the waters handed over to Nicaragua.
If Colombia takes a “rogue nation” stance (after retreating from the Bogotá Pact), some business leaders believe that the country is capitalizing on populism rather than defending the real politik of the islanders.
“At a key moment when the government of Juan Manuel Santos is sitting down for peace talks with the FARC in Cuba, this dispute pushes aside the political agenda to become one of increasing the President’s ratings,” claims Wiston Newball, a merchant who commutes regularly between the mainland and San Andres.
The conflict of the Caribbean seems far from resolving itself. Although Foreign Minister María Angela Holguín is looking for a negotiated settlement, Nicaragua doesn’t see how dialogue will change their claims to the sea, especially one rich in oil.
Former Nicaraguan Foreign Minsiter Francisco Aguirre believes Colombia will “regain its senses and act like an adult nation.” But Santos is refusing to cave in. The President insists that the navy can patrol up to the 82nd meridian and maintain its military presence on one of the tiny isles. According to Santos, the ICJ ruling was full of “omissions, mistakes and inconsistencies.”
Even weeks before the ICJ decision, Nicaragua moored a boat near the islands to send a signal to Bogotá that they are ready to take back their “sovereignty.” With the Bogotá Pact in shambles and this country pulling out of the ICJ, the challenge for Santos this season is to calm the nerves of the islanders while navigating Colombian diplomacy through stormy waters.
