Drugs & US Law Enforcement (2006-2017)

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A new book available for pre-order from Hurst (London-based) on Colombia, with an impressive line up of authors: Davis, Kilcullen, Mills and Spencer:http://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/a-great-perhaps/

There is a 33% discount if you register with Hurst, with free P&P.

From the publishers notice:

No country has managed as rapid and positive a turnaround in governance and security conditions this century as Colombia. In 1999, FARC and ELN rebels were literally at the gates of Bogot, and Colombia was a country synonymous with the antics of Pablo Escobar, known primarily for rapacious corruption, weak government, drug smuggling and criminality. Fifteen years later the guerrillas, seriously weakened, have been persuaded to attend peace talks in Havana, and the Colombian economy has been a top performer in Latin America.

To date, however, there has been no comprehensive examination of the different elements employed by the government to combat the guerrillas, win local and international political and military support, extend government authority to the 75 per cent of the countryside where it was seldom felt, and turn the Colombian economy around. How the Colombians did all of this is the subject of this book by four international specialists with unrivalled policy and practical expertise in counterinsurgency campaigns in Colombia and elsewhere, bringing a unique comparative perspective.


Based on fieldwork in Colombias regions, the study provides a history of the conflict, compares it to other case studies, examines the war from the perspectives of the government and the guerrillas, delves into the development of special Colombian capabilities (notably in intelligence and the use of airpower and special forces), and explains the economic dimension in terms both of historical exclusion and ongoing attempts at growth and inclusion. Finally, it concludes with an assessment of the countrys prospects: can the combination of improved security, a flourishing economy and the peace process offer an opportunity to finally translate Colombia from, in Gabriel Garcia Marquezs words, a great perhaps into something more permanent?

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A short five minute video clip; explained as:

With rare and exclusive access, the Guardian joins one of the Farc’s remaining rebel cells deep in the Colombian jungle as guerrillas contemplate the final days of their dying revolution. After 51 years of armed struggle and numerous attempts at peace, the revolutionaries’ rapidly dwindling numbers have resolved into a hard core of hold-out cells, still on the run and deeply reluctant to give up their guns

Link:http://www.theguardian.com/world/vid...colombia-video