Internal conflict, terrorism and crime in Colombia

Francisco Gutiérrez Sanín
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Francisco Gutiérrez Sanín: Instituto de Estudios Políticos y Relaciones Internacionales Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Colombia, Postal: Instituto de Estudios Políticos y Relaciones Internacionales Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Colombia

Journal of International Development, 2006, vol. 18, issue 1, 137-150

Abstract: This article examines the relationship between terrorism, civil war and crime in Colombia where the internal conflict is both highly criminalized and low to medium in intensity. One of the main tenets of the 'new wars' thesis is that the civilian|combatant ratio in civil conflicts has worsened dramatically, said to be associated with the increasingly violent or terrorist behaviour of the groups that participate in the conflict. However, in Colombia the 'new wars' thesis does not hold, despite the very strong link between the guerrillas, the paramilitary and the narco-economy. This argument is supported by an exploration of the methods used and factors motivating the actors involved in the conflict. In constructing a political economy of internal conflicts and terrorism and in the context of territoriality, it is further argued that the 'political' part of the equation is often under-estimated, due not least of all to the lack of a working notion of governance. The policy relevance of the argument is that terrorist acts need to be located in political context and understood in relation to the political content of the challenge they pose and the response they elicit. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Date: 2006
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:jintdv:v:18:y:2006:i:1:p:137-150

DOI: 10.1002/jid.1267

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