The writer and political analyst León Valencia (Colombia) is the Director of the Pares Foundation, a research centre dedicated to the analysis of Colombia’s social and political conflicts. He has been a columnist for Semana magazine and also for newspapers such as El Colombiano and El Tiempo. His research into the links between politicians and paramilitaries (“la parapolítica”) marked a watershed in judicial processes against corruption. He is also the author of several books, the most recent of which is La sombra del presidente. In conversation with Juan David Correa.