Western Hemisphere 117
Colombia (Nueva Granada) with assistance for Peru. Chile’s policy amidst the uncer-
tainty was to preserve peace on the continent and to preserve the status quo. To obtain
a clearer picture of what was happening, a Chilean diplomat arrived in Ecuador. By
the time that diplomat arrived, the Flores expedition was concluded, with no hos-
tilities, and Ecuador and Colombia were making preparations to invade conservative
Peru. Bolivia, who was threatening Peru as well, was being courted by the two radi-
cal governments to assist them in a siege of Peru. Peru then asked Chile for help on
August 30, 1852. Chile, originally skeptical of Peruvian intentions, was now deeply
suspicious of all three radical governments but especially Ecuador and Colombia. The
Chilean diplomat in Ecuador was instructed to warn Ecuador that any attack against
Peru would lead to a Chilean intervention to preserve the status quo. This warning was
delivered on September 14, 1852. Throughout, Chile took a tone that it sought to be a
mediator, not an aggressor, in any conflict. It wanted to preserve peace and preserve
the status quo. Nevertheless, a Chilean war vessel appeared in the ports of Ecuador
and Peru to signal its resolve.
Peru was barreling toward war with Bolivia anyway, and thus opted to negoti-
ate a settlement with Colombia. Ecuador panicked, realizing that any settlement
that removed Colombia from the conflict would leave Ecuador exposed since it
was impoverished and riddled with domestic chaos. Ecuador then sent an envoy to
Lima to settle the dispute. An agreement was reached between Peru and Ecuador in
March 1853. Peru promised to keep Flores out of Ecuadorian territory. This agree-
ment resolved all questions with the exception of the disposition of Flores’s ships.
The disposition of the expedition would be determined by Chilean arbitration. War
nearly erupted between Peru and Bolivia and was thought to be an inevitability after
Peru seized the Bolivian port of Cobija. However, domestic turmoil for both states
distracted the respective governments and war was averted.
Coding changes: Dropped from the dispute: 101 Venezuela. Start Date changed from
August 1852. End Date changed from Missing.
MID#1597
Dispute Number: 1597
Date(s): October 1899 to April 1900
Participants: 135 Peru/100 Colombia
Outcome (and Settlement): Victory for side A (Imposed)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: This dispute marks a Peruvian occupation of Tarapaca, part of Colombia’s
Amazonian region. The foray into this territory comes as a result of a civil conflict
in Colombia that necessarily distracted the Colombian government. Troops that had
occupied Tarapaca were recalled and dispatched to Bogota in order to secure order.
With the Colombian garrison gone, Peru moved in to no militarized response from
Colombia. As a result, Peru dictated the terms of commerce through the area for the
next few decades.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from April 1899. End Date changed from
Missing.