Repertoires of Terrorism
Organizational Identity and Violence in Colombia's Civil War
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Columbia University Press
Published:25th Jun '24
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Why do armed groups employ terrorism in markedly different ways during civil wars? Drawing on more than a decade of fieldwork, Andreas E. Feldmann examines the disparate behavior of actors including guerrilla groups, state security forces, and paramilitaries during Colombia’s long and bloody civil war. Analyzing the varieties of violence in this conflict, he develops a new theory of the dynamics of terrorism in civil wars.
Feldmann argues that armed groups’ distinct uses—repertoires—of terrorism arise from their particular organizational identities, the central and enduring attributes that distinguish one faction from other warring parties. He investigates a range of groups that took part in the Colombian conflict over the course of its evolution from ideological to criminal warfare, demonstrating that organizational identity plays a critical role in producing and rationalizing violence. Armed parties employ their unique repertoires as a means of communication to assert their relevance and territorial presence and to differentiate themselves from enemies and rivals. Repertoires of Terrorism is based on an extensive data set covering thousands of incidents, as well as interviews, archival research, and testimony. It sheds new light on both armed groups’ use of violence in Colombia’s civil war and the factors that shape terrorist activity in other conflicts.
Andreas Feldmann masterfully brings back ideology and organizational identity to theories on the use of terrorist tactics in civil wars. This book stands out for its detailed yet panoramic comparison of all armed actors, including state security forces, and it will become a crucial reference on Colombia’s war and on terrorist techniques. -- Angélica Durán-Martínez, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
What explains the logic of terrorism in civil war? Feldmann shows that armed groups deploy terrorist tactics in line with organizational identities shaped by their history, ideology, leadership, and connections with organized crime. This is an impressive study of armed actors in the Colombian civil war, a tragedy that has displaced six million and killed half a million people. -- Aníbal Pérez-Liñán, director of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, University of Notre Dame
Andreas Feldmann's pioneering analysis of how terrorism is employed in Colombia's long-lasting civil war focuses not only on the FARC's and ELN's deliberate attacks on civilians but also studies the state's security forces and paramilitary groups seeking to preserve the status quo. He does so masterfully, covering all the complex interactions of state and nonstate actors. This book can serve as a model for a better understanding of other civil wars where political violence and organized crime have become enmeshed. Importantly, Feldmann's book also offers suggestions on how to diminish conditions of terrorist violence in internal conflicts. -- Alex P. Schmid, Distinguished Fellow, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), The Hague
Provides a framework for how we can look at violence and anticipate attacks or even develop strategies for peace and reconciliation. The book provides this crucial academic and practical understanding while still recognizing the deep human cost of violence against civilians. Andreas E. Feldmann’s dedication to this topic shows how necessary it is that we understand and empathize in order to act. * ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America *
ISBN: 9780231213752
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
344 pages