Development of Narco-terrorism through the Lenses of Morphogenetic Approach – FARC Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51738/Kpolisa2021.18.1r.2.02Keywords:
narco-terrorism, morphogenetic theory, FARC, transformation, ideology, rational choiceAbstract
The subject of this paper is the development of narco-terrorism before and after the Cold War. It is noticed that many terrorist groups have intensified their activities in organized crime, and especially in drug trafficking after the 1990s, one of which was the Colombian insurgent group FARC. In the paper, we will try to prove the hypothesis that criminal activities of terrorist groups rise as their ideological basis become weaker and that it is a rational choice which terrorist groups make to survive. We will try to offer the answer by analyzing the development of FARC, and by using a morphogenetic approach. This theory is based on critical realism and therefore it acknowledges the equal importance to the structure and actors and it allows us to track their interaction through time. That is why we think that it is most suitable for the analysis of complex and dynamic occurrences like narco-terrorism. At the beginning of the paper, we present a literature review with different conceptions of narco-terrorism, after which we highlight the main presumptions and advantages of morphogenetic theory. At the end of the paper, the author will offer her analysis of the development of FARC through a morphogenetic approach and will review the main factors that caused its intensified involvement in drug trafficking from the 1990s, like the decline of ideology in the group and the international arena, but also the fight for survival in the hostile environment of class war in Colombia.
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