Lietaer and Dunne report more than 4, 000 unofficial, private currencies already operational in the world today.

FORBES: Rethinking Money: The Rise Of Hayek's Private Competing Currencies

Yet, together with the earlier Times of London story about Malley's contacts with Hamas and the new revelations about Malley serving as Obama's unofficial Middle East envoy, the Al-Hayat report has the ring of truth.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The perils ahead

But the report gives damning support to the claims of critics that the paramilitaries operate as an unofficial extra division of Colombia's army, and will thus embarrass the government.

ECONOMIST: Colombia's conflicts: Enemies of the state, without and within | The