The Combination of All Forms of Struggle - (Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare) by Alexandra Rachel Phelan

About the Book

Investigating the relationship between FARC and the Colombian state from the outbreak of conflict in 1964 to the signing of the final peace agreement in 2016, Alexandra Rachel Phelan offers new insight into the dynamics of insurgencies.

Book Synopsis

Over the course of a decades-long armed conflict, the Colombian state took a variety of approaches toward its insurgent opponent, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Successive governments swung between pursuing negotiations and responding with military counterinsurgency measures. FARC, for its part, proclaimed its commitment to "the combination of all forms of struggle" seeking legitimation through both political and military means.

Investigating the relationship between FARC and the Colombian state from the outbreak of conflict in 1964 to the signing of the final peace agreement in 2016, Alexandra Rachel Phelan offers new insight into the dynamics of insurgencies. In such conflicts, both states and insurgents seek to assert their legitimacy, which has crucial implications for any prospective resolution. Phelan examines how FARC adopted different means of legitimation as part of its overall political and military strategy and how these strategies influenced government responses. She argues that the case of Colombia demonstrates that insurgents are more likely to engage in negotiations when the state recognizes their political legitimacy than when it demands their defeat. During a protracted conflict, when it is unclear that the state can win by military strength alone, offering incentives for political settlements can minimize--and perhaps even end--fighting. Drawing on interviews with former and active FARC leaders and Colombian government officials, as well as access to key primary documents, this book sheds new light on the Colombian conflict and provides rich theoretical understanding of the role of legitimacy in counterinsurgency more broadly.

Review Quotes

Drawing on an impressive set of documents and field interviews, this book illuminates the trajectory of the Colombian armed conflict. Phelan carefully explores the history of the peace process, showing why it stands as a model for future efforts to achieve transitional justice. An essential text for students, academics, and experts in negotiation and theories of armed conflict resolution.--Gonzalo Sánchez-Gómez, emeritus professor at the National University of Colombia and former director of Colombia's National Centre for Historical Memory

Phelan's use of unique primary sources, fieldwork, and expert analysis provide an authoritative account of how FARC and the Colombian government negotiated an end to a decades-long conflict. Her convincing presentation of FARC's drive for legitimacy makes this a must-read for anyone interested in insurgency and civil war.--Craig Whiteside, U.S. Naval War College at the Naval Postgraduate School

This book is a welcomed addition to the growing literature on Colombia's turbulent history and civil wars. Phelan skillfully delves into the struggle for political power and legitimacy between the state and its main opponent, the armed Marxist rebels of FARC.--Nazih Richani, author of Systems of Violence: The Political Economy of War and Peace in Colombia

The Combination of All Forms of Struggle is an important contribution to the literature on how terrorist and insurgency campaigns end. Using Colombia as a case study, Phelan's incisive analysis, based on extensive and meticulous fieldwork, provides fresh insights into how nonstate actors build legitimacy through a combined strategy of violence and negotiation.--Bruce Hoffman, Georgetown University

About the Author

Alexandra Rachel Phelan is a lecturer in politics and international relations in the School of Social Sciences at Monash University. She is also the editor of Terrorism, Gender and Women: Toward an Integrated Research Agenda (2021).