Introduction -- Organizational structures -- Trajectory and variation -- Governance -- Political system -- Local authorities -- Land -- Information -- Army and police -- Health sector -- Conclusions.

"This book analyzes the relationship between Colombian paramilitaries and the State in the period 1982-2007. Despite the attention that the paramilitaries demand, due to both the magnitude of their crimes and their specificities, understanding the nature of this interaction has proven to be complex. They were not a homogeneous, hierarchical force, but a protean network of highly localistic coalitions and units. Based on new and extensive empirical evidence, the book shows that even in diverse circumstances there was a set of basic mechanisms that established a link between the State and paramilitary factions, which influenced the trajectory of the latter. These mechanisms, in turn, were permanently mediated by political institutions and the highly clientelistic Colombian polity. Therefore, without a close reading of the Colombian clientelistic politics and statehood, it is not possible to understand the interaction between the two entities."--Provided by publisher.

Texto en inglés