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Brosio, Giorgio; Zanola, Roberto --- "Violence and its Impact on Democracy in Colombia" [2007] ELECD 222; in Marciano, Alain; Josselin, Jean-Michel (eds), "Democracy, Freedom and Coercion" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2007)

Book Title: Democracy, Freedom and Coercion

Editor(s): Marciano, Alain; Josselin, Jean-Michel

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781847201263

Section: Chapter 6

Section Title: Violence and its Impact on Democracy in Colombia

Author(s): Brosio, Giorgio; Zanola, Roberto

Number of pages: 23

Extract:

6. Violence and its impact on
democracy in Colombia
Giorgio Brosio and Roberto Zanola

INTRODUCTION

Colombia is neither waging war against external enemies, nor has a
dictatorial government engaged in a large-scale repression of insurrec-
tion. However, Colombia ranks among the most violent countries of
the world. Homicides are one of the harshest forms of violence.
Unfortunately in Colombia they are accompanied by every kind of vio-
lence, such as massacres, kidnappings, forced relocation of villagers,
crimes against property. Drug traffickers, guerrillas, army and police
forces members, paramilitary groups, rural rich and poor, young gangs
and `self righteous' citizens are all involved in violence, in addition to
common criminals.
In the last decade more than 280 000 homicides have been recorded. It is
as if an entire mid-sized city had been swept away. The rate of homicides
has receded slightly in the most recent years, but not to too much relief to
the Colombians, since other forms of violence have compensated the reduc-
tion. The number of kidnappings has tripled between 1995 and 2000 and
from 2000 to 2003 more than 16 000 people were kidnapped.
One would expect that this extreme incidence of violence would impact
hugely on the economy and democratic institutions. This is not the case,
however, at least in comparative terms, especially in Latin America. In the
recent decades Colombia neither had a revolutionary period, nor dictator-
ships of any kind.1 Its economy has done comparably well in the region and
its income ...