When Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as Colombia’s president on August 7, he had a long list of problems he wanted to tackle. The earthquake struck near San José del Palmar, in Chocó, one of Colombia’s poorest and most remote departments. Yet the state response, even in the first hours, looked very different. It would be rash, and unfair, after just three days in office, to credit de la Espriella alone for that. President Abelardo de la Espriella (Photo: Getty)The role of the military has also been markedly different.