Convergence of crises in Colombia: The intersection of refugee crisis, illegal armed groups and policy missteps

Abstract

AbstractThe multiple crises of Colombian‐Venezuelan borderland geopolitics, which include a rise in Venezuelan refugees entering Colombia, mounting armed conflict from illegal armed groups throughout Colombia and the mixed efficacy of policy responses by the government, are converging to drive an evolution in Colombia's security concerns. This convergence of crises rivals the security conditions of the early 2000's. As before, the government faces prolific armed conflict, loss of legitimacy over sovereign territory to a host of illegal armed groups, unchecked coca cultivation‐trafficking and illicit economies, and an overwhelming loss of confidence in the central government's abilities to govern and counter these threats. This paper argues that the cumulative effect of the nascent convergence of crises is the subsequent rise of mounting Colombian insecurity and threats to stability that now permeates throughout the country – spanning and linking rural, urban and borderland areas in unprecedented ways while driving Venezuelan xenophobia and social unrest.