Colombia continues to be a country of marked contrasts. During 2007 the performance of the economy was strong, and yet it was a dire time in regards to the armed conflict. It is remarkable that the government and the FARC were unable to agree on terms for a humanitarian exchange. The advances in the process of demobilization of right-wing paramilitaries are also notorious because they have brought to light countless crimes as well as the involvement of several politicians with the paramilitaries.