Contribution to Book
Colombia: Ungoverned Territory and the Proliferation of Non-State Actors
CULTURE AND NATIONAL SECURITY IN THE AMERICAS
(2017)
Abstract
Colombia is located in a strategic position in the Andean region as it borders Panama, Brazil, Venezuela, and Ecuador. In addition, it has access to two oceans and is only a two-and-a-half-hour airplane ride from the United States. Therefore, instability in the country can impact regional security and even security in the United States. Colombia has been a key ally of the United States as demonstrated by the fact that the United States has invested $10 billion in aid to help the Colombian government combat drug trafficking, organized crime, and the guerrilla organizations that exist in the country.
The main objective of this chapter is to address some of the historical narratives, geopolitical and cultural factors, and demographic foundations of Colombia's strategic cultural orientation. The chapter also seeks to highlight key strategic cultural values and traditional orientations exhibited by the country (both the elite and the masses); to identify the primary purveyors of strategic culture; and, to look at continuities, changes, and challenges for strategic culture, particularly contemporary ones.
Keywords
- Strategic culture,
- Latin America,
- Politics and government,
- National security,
- Colombia
Disciplines
Publication Date
2017
Editor
Brian Fonseca and Eduardo A. Gamarra
Publisher
Lexington Books
ISBN
9781498519588
Citation Information
Victor M. Uribe-Uran, Colombia: Ungoverned Territory and the Proliferation of Non-State Actors, in CULTURE AND NATIONAL SECURITY IN THE AMERICAS, (Brian Fonseca and Eduardo A. Gamarra, eds.,Lexington Books, 2017).