Coca, oil, emeralds, cattle and land: the non-instrumental role of natural resources and commodities in the Colombian conflict

Abstract

This thesis explores the non-instrumental role of natural resources and commodities in Colombian conflict by a statistical analysis of the correlation between agricultural activities, land inequality and uses of the land with the presence of the main three illegal armed groups in Colombian conflict, the National Liberation Army, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the United Self-defences of Colombia. By showing that these groups have been able to obtain financial resources from a large variety of economic activities, this thesis suggests that the focus of the discussion about natural resources and conflict needs a shift from their financial role to their non-instrumental importance. With this objective in mind, this thesis provides an in-depth study of the role that coca, oil, emeralds and cattle in the political discourse of illegal armed groups and their relationship with Colombian population. More specifically, it provides evidence of the leading role of cattle ranchers and emerald businessmen in the creation of paramilitary groups, how obtaining resources from coca growing and cocaine trafficking allowed illegal armed groups to pursue their political projects and how the attacks to the oil infrastructure had been used for propaganda rather than for economic purposes.