After almost three years of talks, Colombia’s peace negotiations with the FARC guerrilla group will end soon—with or without an agreement. Amid an uptick in violence in recent months, Humberto de la Calle, the government’s chief negotiator, said in a July 5 interview with the Colombian media, “It’s clear to me that the process is coming to its end, for good or ill. It could be because we’ve reached an accord, as we’re in the homestretch of the fundamental issues [on the negotiation agenda]. Or for ill, if—as is happening—Colombians’ patience runs out.”

Two days after de la Calle’s interview, President Juan Manuel Santos announced the replacement of nearly the entire senior military command of Colombia’s armed forces, with new heads of the army, navy and air force. In the armed forces, the only senior officer to keep his post was Gen. Juan Pablo Rodriguez, the low-key armed forces chief. The changes completed a defense reshuffle that began last month after a spike in FARC attacks and a damning report on human rights abuses by the army. ...