The historical relationship between agrarian reforms and internal armed conflicts: Relevant factors for the Colombian post-conflict scenario

Abstract

With the purpose of identifying relevant factors potentially affecting the implementation of Colombian agrarian reform in its post-conflict phase, this article explores the links between agrarian reform and internal armed conflict in four countries that underwent a similar process. Namely, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and South Africa. Looking for similarities and differences in the implementation of agrarian reforms in the four countries, the methodology included various parts. First, existing agrarian reforms and armed conflicts were identified, based on which, the selection of countries has been carried out. Second, once the countries were selected, the different stages of the corresponding conflict were analyzed (Pre-, In- and Post-conflict). Finally, the stages were compared with the Colombian case and insights have been drawn. Results from the comparative analysis reveal that the typology of the agrarian reform, the power relationship between elites, and the socioeconomic inequality are the most influential factors in the Colombian post-conflict stage. Based on these, I suggest that the new agrarian reform in Colombia does not fulfill the conditions for peace construction based on fair access to and distribution of the land.