The Political Sociology of Private Armies in Colombia and the United States

Autor: Stan C. Weeber
Rok vydání: 2003
Předmět:
Zdroj: International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice. 27:153-177
ISSN: 2157-6475
0192-4036
DOI: 10.1080/01924036.2003.9678707
Popis: This paper provides a comparative sociological analysis of private armies in Colombia and the United States. Private armies in both nations have economic and political underpinnings. An ethic of economic inequality pervaded Colombian life and institutions since colonialism, creating a milieu for private armies to develop. The cocaine industry seized a historic moment in the weakness of the Colombian state, and private armies in their employ helped to manage the risks of cocaine production. Occasionally the armies were used for counterinsurgent purposes. Beyond this, a remarkable diversity of roles played by private armies was noted. In the United States, an ethic of equality provided the social milieu for legitimate private armies to appear. Militias enjoyed social status early on, but later were viewed as antidemocratic and authoritarian. Militia groups since 1865 focused attention upon internal threats first and later external ones. They did not get involved in an illegal business enterprise, and thus o...
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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