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    The FARC: The Longest Insurgency
    Unavailable
    The FARC: The Longest Insurgency
    Unavailable
    The FARC: The Longest Insurgency
    Ebook240 pages4 hours

    The FARC: The Longest Insurgency

    By Garry Leech

    3.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Garry Leech has written the definitive introduction to the FARC, examining the group's origins, aims, and ideology, and looking at its organizational and operational structures. The book also investigates the FARC's impact on local, regional, and global politics and explores its future direction.

    'Rebels' is an exciting and innovative new series looking at contemporary rebel groups and their place in global politics. Written by leading experts, the books serve as definitive introductions to the individual organizations, whilst seeking to place them within a broader geographical and political framework. They examine the origins, ideology and future direction of each group, whilst posting such questions as 'When does a "rebel" political movement become a "terrorist" organization?' and 'What are the social-economic drivers behind political violence?'.

    Provocative and original, the series is essential reading for anyone interested in how rebel groups operate today.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZed Books
    Release dateMay 12, 2011
    ISBN9781780321882
    Unavailable
    The FARC: The Longest Insurgency
    Author

    Garry Leech

    Garry Leech is an independent journalist and author of eight books including How I Became an American Socialist (Misfit Books, 2016), Capitalism: A Structural Genocide (Zed Books, 2012); Beyond Bogotá: Diary of a Drug War Journalist in Colombia (Beacon Press, 2009); and Crude Interventions: The United States, Oil and the New World Disorder (Zed Books, 2006). He also teaches international politics at Cape Breton University in Nova Scotia, Canada and Javeriana University in Cali, Colombia.

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    Reviews for The FARC

    3.5/5

    7 ratings6 reviews

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    • 1/5
      I found The FARC to be rather dry. Informative but dry. In a sense it's much like reading subtitles on The History Channel, but without the film. I really haven't had much interest in South American politics, but I was hoping that this would change that and educate me on the matter a bit. I feel slightly more informed but in the same way you would after sitting though a three hour class with no breaks. Educational but not enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      I was very excited to receive this book from Early Reviewers. I have spent most of my studying focusing on East Asia and Europe and so receiving a book on an area that I have little knowledge of was a thrill.In general I found the book interesting. The author gives a good history of the FARC and seems to be gearing it towards those that know very little about them. I had two large problems with this book though. First, he seemed extremely biased. I realize that he was attempting to show both sides of the FARC, but it was obvious he was very sympathetic to them. This gave the book a very slanted feeling. Second, the book seemed to jump around a bit to me and didn't seem as organized as other non-fictions I have read. His first few pages layout what he proposes to talk about, but once you start getting into the meat of the book it becomes jumpy and many times I forgot his main points.All in all, this book is interesting for those with little to no knowledge of the FARC, but its slanted and jumpy feel made it lose some points with me.
    • 4/5
      On Garry Leech's 'The FARC'. More or less a short work on the Colombian guerilla organization. It's history, development, motivations and aims. It's insurgency for nigh on 50 years against a government whether in liberal or conservative form which basically has repressed its rural population since memory. In these particular times where free market global economics take center stage leaving even more have nots in its wake whether in Latin or North America, Europe, Asia or Africa the FARC continues on. Leech's interesting insights into how FARC continues to operate in particular areas of that country--how it makes the money it needs to do so--in part by protecting farmers raising coca to be made into cocaine and by levying taxes against the rich and powerful. His explanations for all that are compelling enough. The existence of this group is rooted in inequality--as much the greed and ambition of the powerful or the ambitious--those who would create more poverty to enrich themselves. It's the usual Latin American history and as usual American policy whether economic or ideological supports it to the hilt. In any case this insurgency hasn't gone away in 50 some years and is not likely to in the near future without some kind of change in conditions--and as long as the Colombian govt. continues on the path that is very unlikely.Anyway I found the book to be very interesting. Leech as well fleshes out the other armed actors--the government's police and army and paramilitary groups and drug cartels. `The govt. often turning a blind eye or even supporting atrocities committed by the paramilitaries. Leech has some criticism for all of them.
    • 4/5
      I was delighted to get this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers, having done a module in Media Movements and Radical Politics in my final year as an under-graduate. This book by Garry Leech documents the rise and fall of the FARC revolutionary group in Colombia. The FARC have a reputation in the media as a guerilla group engaging in violent terrorist acts, frequently contravening human rights as stated in international law; they may not be entirely wrong but it is, as Leech illustrates, far from the whole story. Leech makes his approach as an independent journalist who has spent a substantial amount of time deep within Colombia, garnering a unique insight through in depth interviews with members of the FARC, as well as their opposition.Beginning with exploring the violent inception of the FARC, violence perpetrated primarily by government forces and government funded paramilitaries, their turbulent and dynamic history is explored. The FARC's Marxist-Leninist inspired ideology, and its implementation on the ground by politically educated guerilla forces, fighting for the rights of the subjugated peasantry of the rural expanses of Colombia are well explained. I would therefore praise Leech for creating a concise explanation of the group's ideological and tactical presence.I would further praise the critique of the neo-liberal economic regime impressed upon the people of Colombia by a government handed large 'aid' bundles by America. The figures quoted by Leech well illuminate the increasing inequalities faced by people in Colombia, people forced in many cases to resort to growing coca (for use in cocaine) due to poor infrastructure eliminating the opportunity to transport perishable foodstuffs. The FARC's role in attempting to build and infrastructure through taxing corporations in the area (hence kidnapping for non-payment) was something of which I was not aware. The group also attempts to provide an education, and means for switching to different crops for the peasants in many areas. All of these things are invisible in the majority of the mass media - not surprising given the sound-bites they are spoon fed by the Colombian and US government. Yet Leech brings them to the fore in this easily readable book - a great introductory text for anyone wishing to learn more about radical politics, Marxism/Leninism in action or guerilla organisations.My main critique however is that Leech's view is incredibly one sided. Whilst he does make note of the human rights abuses perpetrated by members of the FARC, they are brushed off, with little investigation into the processes used by the group for disciplining members. Whilst government statements are highly critiqued, such statements by the FARC are seemingly viewed through rose tinted glasses. Although many peasants appear to be having a more comfortable life in areas supported by the FARC, is this really just a lesser of two great evils, or something which really should be carried through to a national level using their policies? Is there really as little corruption in the FARC as Leech claims? I know he does cover these points, but only in brief, and I think that more academic stand-points on on the FARC would be interesting if added to this text.In summary, whilst I would prefer a less one sided account of the FARC, this is a group which has received little more than purely negative coverage in the media. Therefore I would tend to suggest that it may be excusable to lean more in the FARC's favour as their viewpoints have simply not been expressed. Leech does issue critique of FARC policies in places, and in general I found this a fascinating book, and certainly feel wiser for having read it.
    • 2/5
      When is a terrorist not a terrorist? When he makes his own rules and follows them.Colombia is a country with magnificent natural beauty, abundant natural resources, and multitudinous man-caused problems. The government has been full of corruption for years, violence seems to be in the gene pool, the rich get richer and exploit the poor who get poorer. The FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) started with the idea of helping the rural poor get a fair shake. But they aren’t the government and no matter what semantics they use, extorting the rich is not a “tax”, kidnapping them is not “detaining” like governments use prisons, and bombing innocent unsuspecting civilians is criminal.Having lived in Colombia for 16 of the last 19 years, I had an interest in this book on the FARC. It is well written, interesting, and brings to light many thought provoking factors. It is short and easy to read. But it is biased.The author spends a lot of time proving that the FARC are justified in what they do because they are ideologues trying to bring about justice, and then tells us they are not “terrorists” because the internationally accepted definition of terrorist includes “politically motivated.” At one point he states that it is simply not true that the FARC had a very low popularity rating and Uribe had a high one. I lived there. I talked to people of all classes. I watched thousands, (hundreds of thousands?) march against the FARC. I saw Uribe win an unprecedented reelection by a wide margin. I could not drive between cities because if the FARC set up a roadblock, I would be “detained” in return for a “tax” that would cause my families in the states to sell their houses. After Uribe began to crack down on the FARC (yes with sad the loss of some innocents, but those who were actually near the fighting, not just going to a mall on a weekday morning) the nation became safer and I have visited many parts of the country in complete security, in every sense of the word.He does recognize that the FARC are guilty of human rights abuses (as is the Colombian government and the paramilitary groups), but I had a hard time reading a book so obviously in favor of men who take the law into their own hands. I would have an equally difficult time reading a book in favor of the “paras”. Change is needed in Colombia, but in as non-violent manner as possible.I would recommend this book to someone who needed to raise their blood-pressure.
    • 4/5
      Garry Leech's 'The FARC' is a short book and a quick read on the history, ideology, methods and evolution of this Colombian guerrilla organization. Being in existence for about five decades they have been in essence the government in southern and eastern Columbia while the “formal”/recognized government basically still represses the rural population and exist in the major cities. Though there have been peace talks between the FARC and the government nothing has come of it. The FARC has the support of the mass rural population; for as you will read they actually do more for the population in both administration, infrastructure and judicial functions that are lacking in those areas. It seems as you read this that the official government destroys, when they can, any infrastructure improvements and even a hospital. It is no wonder the FARC has such great support from the rural population. The author even mention how the FARC protects the farmers who grow coca for cocaine as it is the only product that will not spoil and makes a profit. The author claims that the FARC wants too eliminate this product and have legal crops but with the government destroying the bridges the farmers have no way to get perishable produce too market.Leech informs us of the government's repression of the people and the blind eye given to the various paramilitary organizations. But the human rights violations that are perpetuated by the FARC are not really gone into detail. After fifty years I cannot believe that the FARC has as little corruption in it as the author seems too want use too believe. But I do understand that the author believes that the people are better served by the FARC then the recognized government. I think the author cover most of the high points but more detail is needed. This is worth reading for I do not see the FARC will be disbanded any time in the near future.