Pablo Escobar was one of the wealthiest men in the world in the 80’s, he made his fortune in the cocaine business. In the beginning, his operation was small, and as it grew he funded housing projects for the slums of his home town, built soccer stadiums, provided jobs for the unemployed and gave monetary assistance to the struggling poor while shaking a fist at the corruption and inadequacies of the political and judicial system in his country. Escobar believed he had the greater interest of his people in the forefront of his activities, but he killed the Minister of Justice for accusing him of drug trafficking and later bombed a civilian jet liner in an assassination attempt of Presidential cancidate César Gaviria in response to Gaviria‘s support of extradition to the US. He killed 111 people on the plane, which Gaviria was not on, and his objectives were becoming blatantly less selfless and more and more selfish, In his mind, his actions were justified, but the people of he world were decidedly at odds with his methods.
His righteous crusade forjustice was tainted by the first narco-terrorism the world experienced, He protected his innocent public image, whi e he could, while secretly bribing or killing officials to meet his personal agenda. His original intent may have been to help the poor and restore justice to Colombia 7 a grandiose and moral cal ing indeed 7 but his methods were far from the moral and judicious defense he imagined himself bringing to the Colombian people. Bowden, Mark. Killing Pablo: T16 Hunt for the World‘s Greatest Outlaw. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. 2001. Print. A biography of Pablo Escobar, it begins with Pablo’s childhood and includes background information on the country’s politics and social situation, and goes through the aftermath after Pablo‘s death and the reaction of the country to the loss of one of the wealthiest men in the world.
It includes information on Pablo’s socioeconomic background, his religious beliefs, his love of country, his licit and illicit activities, the international interest in his arrest, his political career and motivations, his faith 7 or lack thereof7 in the justice system, and his personal contribution to the economic growth of Colombia, It gives the reader insight into the decision making process as Escobar fought extradition and attempted to bring sovereignty to Colombia without interference from “Yankee Imperialists,” While it cannot be adequately argued, even with the insight into Escobar’s motivations, that attacking a commercial plane was just or moral, the book does show how his actions were, in his own mind, justified Mollison, James with Nelson, Rainbowt The Memory of Pablo Escobart London: Chris Boot. 2007. Print.
A visual biography that includes photographs, police reports, family interviews, and DEA records, this book followed Escobar’s life, criminal record and aftermath following his death. Most significant were interviews of his family His mother maintains that Pablo Escobar was sentimental and was working only to help the poor, while his son details some of the violence and terror suffered at the hands of his fatherr It gives investigative insight into the world Escobar grew up in, surrounded by poverty and a corrupt government that may have shaped Escobar’s moral conscience While it holds strong arguments for Escobar’s actions in attacking and targeting government officials, it also reveals his repeated apparent disregard for innocent lives that were destroyed in collateral damage.
While strictly informational, these articles offer details to the gruesome activities that were taken by Pablo Escobar. This attack was reportedly on five police informants, and later it was reported that the intended target, Ce’sar Gaviria, was not on board the plane. They discussed briefly the “total and absolute war” that the “Extraditables” were raging against the Colombian Government in opposition to the extradition agreement they had with the US These articles help the reader gain a sense of understanding of the battle that Pablo Escobar and his cartel members were up against. While Escobar and his cohorts argue that they were fighting for Colombian sovereignty, even within these short articles one can see that their actions were seen by the world as selfish, dangerous, and not in support of the interests of Colombia.
