Reddit reviews Blood and Capital: The Paramilitarization of Colombia (Volume 48) (Ohio RIS Latin America Series)

I understand where you are coming from. I also understand being frustrated with a situation that appears hopeless. The truth is that while I sympathize with any armed groups that take on cartels (or say in the case of Colombia, communists) the logic of war does not lend itself to resolving political or social questions. For instance let us say that you are the leader of a paramilitary gang.. what is your criteria for inclusion? Do you mandate disciplined well-established members of the community who share your politics? Or instead do you let in whoever is willing to fight? It is generally accepted that crazy-violent-people are about 2% of pop, and we can imagine that the job of being a vigilante will select for them more than average. How do you discipline these members? If you are too authoritarian they will defect to your enemies and sell you out. Also, the drug traffickers have endless resources and the nature of war is increased spending year over year the past five hundred years. So how do you make money to fund your auto-defense league? Well you probably need some taxes.. maybe levy some fines.. maybe confiscate some criminal goods.. you can see how this would end up leading to the multiplication of government that is commonly (and inaccurately) called anarchy.

edit: if you don't like that article want me to cite the scholarly literature in journals and books?

PDF: On economic causes of civil war

PDF: Paramilitarism in Colombia: the thin line between
armed politics and crime

WARNING: BOOK! Blood and Capital: The Paramilitarization of Colombia