Abstract
The violent conflict in Colombia is quite typical for the second half of the twentieth century. The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) became one of the strongest guerrilla movements of Latin America. The chaotic reality on the ground with security forces, paramilitaries and guerrillas using propaganda, intimidation, extortion, drug trafficking and violence to get their way has been interpreted from the outside in the contexts of the Cold War, the War on Drugs and the War on Terro. This chapter briefly reviews the historical background, the conflict in its different phases, the international context and the various attempts to negotiate peace. The expansion of paramilitary groups was largely facilitated by US assistance and by the active Colombian economic elites’ role and interest in fighting the guerrillas. The endemic violence in Colombia has been a constant concern to international human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Keywords:Colombia; Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC); guerrillas; human rights; international context; peace; violent conflict; war
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
