Think! Evidence

The Financial Arm Of The FARC: A Threat Finance Perspective

Show simple item record

dc.creator Thomas Cook
dc.date 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z
dc.identifier 1944-0464
dc.identifier 1944-0472
dc.identifier https://doaj.org/article/69864377535a4104ac0e74d5a8ef908c
dc.description The FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) transformed from a traditional guerrilla group into a full-fledged insurgency because of its ability to effectively convert the proceeds derived from illegal narcotic trafficking into operational funds. Those financial capabilities allowed the FARC to challenge government authority in large swathes of the Colombian state. The FARC moved into the drug trade, initially controlling production territory and subsequently engaging in trafficking, which allowed the organization to increase its war-fighting capabilities. This paper only scratches the surface of the mechanism by which the FARC utilized its coca revenue in order to fund its community reinvestment programs, engage in large scale military buildup, and buy political support throughout the region. The exploration of the financial side of the FARC adds to our understanding of how insurgencies become successful. Based on open source information, Threat Finance and financial investigative techniques are underutilized in foreign policy, law enforcement, and intelligence. The critical role played by financing in the rise of the FARC suggests that Threat Finance efforts can be most effective when used to track terrorist and criminal networks. American law enforcement and intelligence agencies should be given bigger budgets and tasked earlier to shut down or disrupt financial networks of foreign insurgencies, such as the FARC.
dc.language English
dc.publisher Henley-Putnam University
dc.relation http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1072&context=jss
dc.relation https://doaj.org/toc/1944-0464
dc.relation https://doaj.org/toc/1944-0472
dc.source Journal of Strategic Security, Vol 4, Iss 1, Pp 19-36 (2011)
dc.subject Gangs and criminal organizations
dc.subject Governance and rule of law
dc.subject Latin America
dc.subject Narcotics trafficking
dc.subject Small wars and insurgencies
dc.subject South America
dc.subject Military Science
dc.subject U
dc.subject DOAJ:Military Science
dc.subject DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.title The Financial Arm Of The FARC: A Threat Finance Perspective
dc.type article


Files in this item

Files Size Format View

There are no files associated with this item.

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record

Search Think! Evidence


Browse

My Account