Las Farc en Mexico: de la Politica al Narcotrafico

Veteran Mexican journalist Fernand\xE9z has kept a close eye on drug gangsters and other branches of the underworld for many years. Here he traces the shady links between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and allies around the hemisphere, particularly in Mexico. The book's subtitle embraces a major part of the author's thesis: the idealistic, politically motivated FARC of 40 years ago has long since given way to a soulless industry that uses drug money and kidnapping ransoms to keep itself in business though it lacks any meaningful stake in public policy. The backbone of the book is a set of documents seized in March 2008 when Colombian forces struck a FARC encampment and killed a longtime leader known as Ra\xFAl Reyes. The computers and storage media seized at the time revealed details about contacts with drug kingpins, elected officials, and others in Mexico; texts and a catalog of these documents comprise the final 84 pages of the book. In the first two-thirds, Fernand\xE9z explains the importance of the Reyes files and the light they cast on the depth of the FARC's involvement in Mexico. Recommended for libraries and bookstores serving readers interested in Mexican and Colombian topics.-Bruce Jensen, Rohrbach Lib., Kutztown, PA