Transnationalising the Colombian (post-)conflict: Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

This Special Issue unpacks the crucial role of transnational actors and processes in Colombia’s transition from conflict to peace, highlighting how these involvements exacerbate diverse forms of violence and exclusion in the country. By pointing towards the influence of larger-than-local processes on Colombia’s path to peace, the contributions in this issue challenge prevailing narratives that tend to overemphasise endogenous Colombian dynamics. This introductory article sets the stage for these fresh analytical perspectives by challenging traditional epistemological and spatial boundaries of peace and conflict studies, which have obscured crucial transnational aspects in Colombia and beyond. We begin with a brief contextualisation of Colombia’s contemporary conflict and peace landscape and discuss recent studies on the topic, and their often-inward-looking character. We problematise the neglect of non-endogenous dimensions of peace and conflict dynamics and engage with the transnational dimension of conflict and the transition to peace in Colombia. We conclude by introducing the contributions to this Special Issue and their potential to move beyond these limitations by analytically focusing on the key transnational dimensions of Colombia’s (post-)conflict scenario.