Armed Actors: Organised Violence and State Failure in Latin America

Contents......Page 6
Abbreviations......Page 9
Acknowledgements......Page 11
Introduction......Page 12
Democracy and violence......Page 16
State failure, uncivil society and ‘new violence’......Page 18
The proliferation of armed actors......Page 20
Armed actors and violence: social and political consequences......Page 24
Notes......Page 26
Political armies: officers and gentlemen?......Page 27
Intelligence: secrecy, impunity and action......Page 30
Paramilitary forces......Page 36
Conclusion......Page 41
Notes......Page 42
Introduction......Page 44
The nature of ‘policing extensions’......Page 45
Latin American policing extensions: basic pattern and diversity......Page 46
Brazil: simple patterns......Page 49
Guatemala: complexity......Page 54
Final observations: the threat of repoliticization......Page 59
Notes......Page 61
Introduction......Page 63
The genesis of civil defence patrols in Peru and Guatemala......Page 64
State counter-insurgency and civil defence in Peru and Guatemala......Page 67
The civil defence patrols and the rule of law......Page 72
The civil defence patrols and civil society......Page 74
The civil defence patrols and the construction of citizenship......Page 77
The social legacy of civil defence patrols in Peru and Guatemala......Page 79
Notes......Page 82
Introduction......Page 84
The cocaine industry: production and trafficking......Page 85
The growth of the drug industry: major conditioning factors......Page 86
The industry and its entrepreneurs......Page 89
Business practices in the drug industry......Page 93
Conclusions......Page 95
Notes......Page 96
The rise of the paramilitaries, 1958–90......Page 98
The strengthening of armed actors, 1990–98......Page 103
Plan Colombia and the escalation of the war, 1998–2003......Page 110
Conclusion......Page 114
Notes......Page 115
7 | Venezuela: the remilitarization of politics......Page 117
The role of the military in the Punto Fijo democracy......Page 119
The erosion of civilian control of the armed forces
......Page 121
The 11 April 2002 coup attempt......Page 123
The December 2002 general strike and beyond......Page 129
Civilian organized violence during the Chávez administration......Page 131
The effects of organized violence on Venezuelan society......Page 133
Conclusions: explaining the remilitarization of politics......Page 136
Notes......Page 137
Democratization and new forms of violence......Page 138
The new criminal problems in Argentina......Page 141
Political misgovernment, deficient policing and social insecurity......Page 146
Introduction......Page 150
A brief history of social and institutional violence in Brazil......Page 151
Urban violence, crime and drugs......Page 152
Explaining the paradox of violence......Page 154
Drug trafficking in Rio de Janeiro......Page 157
The warrior ethos and warfare......Page 160
Conclusion......Page 164
Notes......Page 165
10 | Youth gangs, social exclusion and the transformation of violence in El Salvador......Page 166
Statistics on violence and homicides......Page 167
The depoliticization of violence in El Salvador......Page 168
Explaining the transformation of violence in El Salvador......Page 170
Structural, political and symbolic violence......Page 171
Violence in marginalized neighbourhoods in San Salvador......Page 172
The mara phenomenon......Page 176
Conclusion......Page 180
Notes......Page 181
Violence and fear in Colombia......Page 183
Social distribution of the violence......Page 185
Fear and its impact......Page 190
Forms of flight......Page 193
Notes......Page 196
12 | Epilogue: violence and the quest for order in contemporary Latin America......Page 197
About the contributors......Page 203
Bibliography......Page 205
Index......Page 222