Columbia's Democratic Security and Defense Policy in the Demobilization of the Paramilitaries

Abstract

Colombia has been mired in internal conflict for more than four decades. The complex characteristics of Colombia's internal strife make it unique. Narco-trafficking and terrorism conducted by former communist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary groups represent the main components of the problems facing the government and society. To deal with these complex issues, President Alvaro Uribe's administration designed a strategy known as "Democratic and Defense Policy," which showed significant results for the period 2002 to 2006. One of the most significant results was the demobilization of 31,671 members of illegal right-wing paramilitary organizations. Despite this significant achievement, the process that resulted in this large-scale demobilization was full of hardships and obstacles. The continued narco-trafficking, terrorist activities, and domestic criminal activity committed by paramilitary organizations created huge controversy and distrust within the civilian population. Despite the controversial nature of some of the government's policies and strategies, there has been improvement within the country, and only after some time has gone by will their true effectiveness be known. This paper examines the nature and development of Colombia's internal conflicts and the effectiveness of the government's policies and strategies for dealing with it. One of these strategies included peaceful resolution of problems involving terrorism, the illegal drug trade, and massacres. Each of the following illegal armed organizations is examined in detail: Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC); Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN); Ejercito Popular de Liberacion (EPL); Movimiento 19 de Abril (M-19); and rural, illegal self-defense groups,

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 29, 2007
Accession Number
ADA468861

Entities

People

  • Jose R. Perdomo

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Crime
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Criminals
  • Drug Trafficking
  • Governments
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • National Security
  • Police
  • Security
  • Societies
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • Urban Areas
  • Victims
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.