Bello | Legalism v democray

摘要

"Weapons have given you inde-pendence. Laws will give you freedom". This pledge to Colombians by Francisco de Paula Santander, an independence leader, is inscribed above the portal of the Palace of Justice in Bogota. Ever since Santander, Colombia has been the most legalistic country in Latin America. Perhaps not coincidentally, it has also been one of the most lawless. Colombia is less lawless these days. And its legal tradition often stands it in good stead. Its Constitutional Court knocked down a dubious effort by Alvaro Uribe, the country's messianic president of 2002-10, to change the constitution to allow him a third consecutive term. In the 1980s dozens of judges preferred to die than buckle to drug traffickers.