A MODEL FOR COLOMBIA'S POST-CONFLICT SECURITY SECTOR

Abstract

This thesis examines key characteristics of successful security sector reform. It builds on current theories regarding the critical elements of reform, analyzing how those principles could be applied to the Colombian case. Furthermore, this thesis uses the case studies of El Salvador and Sri Lanka to examine which aspects of their post-conflict security sector reform plans were successful and which could be modified to increase the chance of long-term stability in Colombia. While Colombia shifts its focus from civil conflict and internal criminal investigations to a more strategic outlook with long-term goals of addressing human rights violations, providing oversight of the security sector, and maintaining peace, the intelligence, military, and police sectors all need to undergo reform. As the FARC disarms and right-wing paramilitary organizations disband, the Colombian security sector can develop ways to re-integrate the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), into society, rebuild trust with the population that suffered various human rights violations throughout the civil conflict, and modify the security sector’s mission set to address new regional concerns. Using the comparative analysis from the case studies, this thesis develops a model for Colombia’s post-conflict security sector transformation.