FARC: Dynamics of Autarky and Autonomy

This chapter examines the evolution and growth of FARC from its inception to its official disarmament and demobilization prompted by the peace agreement with the Colombian government in 2016. While it is important to recognize the existence of some dissident groups that still operate on behalf of FARC at the time of writing, they are beyond the scope of this research. After sketching the historical origins and evolution of the FARC insurgency in the time period thus indicated, the chapter focuses on the group’s financing of its operations, demonstrating how it was able to sustain its activities throughout the decades of its existence without any external state actor’s proxy or partner. As a further peculiarity of the case, FARC’s relatively more significant interactions with a range of non-state actors are pointed out, even as this does not change the fundamental fact that the group was able to function with near-complete autarky, unlike many other violent non-state actors (VNSAs) worldwide.