Rebels-Turned-Narcos? The FARC-EP’s Political Involvement in Colombia’s Cocaine Economy

Gutiérrez D, José Antonio; Thomson, Frances

Abstract

According to the ‘rebels-turned-narcos’ premise, increasing involve- ment in the illicit drug industry causes insurgent groups to lose sight of their political aims, as they shift their focus to profit-making. The (former) Colombian rebel group, the FARC-EP, became a paragon for this idea. Drawing on primary research, we argue that the FARC-EP’s involvement in the illicit drug economy was itself political. Their involvement included governance activities, which are by their very nature political. Furthermore, these activities formed part of the FARC-EP’s political project, aimed at ensuring the reproduction of the peasant smallholder economy. Our argument challenges the reb- els-turned-narcos premise more broadly by showing why involve- ment in the illicit drug economy, on its own, is insufficient evidence to posit the depoliticization of an insurgent group.

Citation

Gutiérrez D, J. A., & Thomson, F. (2020). Rebels-Turned-Narcos? The FARC-EP’s Political Involvement in Colombia’s Cocaine Economy. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 44(1), 26-51. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610x.2020.1793456

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 27, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jul 15, 2020
• Publication Date: Jul 15, 2020
• Deposit Date: Sep 23, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 23, 2020
• Journal: Studies in Conflict and Terrorism
• Print ISSN: 1057-610X
• Electronic ISSN: 1521-0731
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 44
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 26-51
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610x.2020.1793456
• Keywords: illicit drugs; armed insurgency; Colombia; coca/cocaine; FARC-EP; rebel governance