Uribe v Santos feud could cripple Colombia

President Juan Manuel Santos

It’s not unusual in Latin American politics for presidents to clash with their predecessors who once helped elect them, but the current feud between former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and President Juan Manuel Santos goes beyond anything I’ve seen in a long time.

It’s a brutal verbal battle between two long-time allies that is shaking Colombia, and that — unless put to an end — could thwart that country’s recent emergence as a rising economic star in Latin America.

When I interviewed Uribe last week following a terrorist attack in Bogota that left two dead and about 50 wounded, I was surprised by the ferocity of Uribe’s criticism of Santos, who had been his