A Hawk in Dove’s Feathers: Colombian Civil-Military Relations Under Santos

Abstract

Colombian president Juan Manual Santos has claimed a new approach to security politics in the violence-ridden South American nation. This Insight reviews Santos’ approach to civil military relations, and suggests that despite his carefully crafted image as a peace-maker, there are hawkish tendencies that still determine his government´s plans for development. An end to the 55-year long internal armed conflict in Colombia is closer that ever, but will a peace accord really end the violence? This Insight suggests that the Colombian conflict must be analyzed in relation to broader political and economic interests held by both civilian and military actors. Here securitization, privatisation and extraction remain the dominant tendencies guiding the Santos government´s and Colombian armed forces´ vision of the future.