The shaping of the nation-state and military autonomy in Latin America

Abstract

Because the Colombian internal conflict has been a permanent and still ongoing situation since the times of the Independence, analyzing other experiences in the region is important in order to reach deeper understanding of the causes of this adversity in Colombia. For this purpose, resorting to the perspective of violence, its monopoly, and the modern Nation-State shaping processes has been necessary. The methodology used comes from analysis and discussion of classic and modern authors’ postulates. Likewise, the Nation-State shaping conjuncture taking place in Latin America was considered, with special attention given to the role of the Military Forces and their inclination to autonomy. Typicities of the region were also taken into account, such as the predominant type of war, the role of regional elites and their relationship with central power, among others. Results indicate that, according to the authors reviewed, these typicities have given rise to the shaping of weak States with no clear distinction between Military Forces and Police roles, and with an unclear definition of citizenship.  Taking these approaches as a starting point, the conclusion is that carrying out further investigations and research is necessary and urgent since they may help understand the relations among power, autonomy and roles from the perspective of war and monopoly of violence in Colombia, and find a way out for this already too long and too complex internal conflict in the country by taking into account the Nation-State shaping processes out of violence.