How Military Actions Affected Citizen Security During Plan Colombia
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Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Theses and Dissertations Thesis Collection 2015-06 How military actions affected citizen security during Plan Colombia Muller, Graydon Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/45909 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS HOW MILITARY ACTIONS AFFECTED CITIZEN SECURITY DURING PLAN COLOMBIA by Graydon Muller June 2015 Thesis Advisor: Thomas C. Bruneau Second Reader: Maiah Jaskoski Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED June 2015 Master’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS HOW MILITARY ACTIONS AFFECTED CITIZEN SECURITY DURING PLAN COLOMBIA 6. AUTHOR(S) Graydon Muller 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Naval Postgraduate School REPORT NUMBER Monterey, CA 93943-5000 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING N/A AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. IRB Protocol number ____N/A____. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited A 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) This thesis examines the effects on citizen security caused by the Colombian military’s actions during Plan Colombia and its successor plans. Military actions are often evaluated according to their effect on state security, but the concern of this thesis is whether or not the advantages of military security actions outweighed the costs for Colombian citizens. The military benefited citizens by weakening the insurgency and increasing state presence across Colombia’s territory, but the military’s involvement also incurred costs, including human rights abuses and large numbers of internally displaced persons. Considerable disagreement exists over the final value of the military’s involvement, as it does over many aspects of Plan Colombia. This thesis seeks to add some clarity to the debate, with a focus on military operations’ effects on civilians’ lives, while also asking what the Colombian experience can teach the United States (and other countries) about counterinsurgency. Overall, this thesis finds that the use of the Colombian military during Plan Colombia improved citizen security, and furthermore that the United States played a positive role in this outcome. 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF Plan Colombia, insurgency, FARC, citizen security, building partner capacity PAGES 89 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UU NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18 i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited HOW MILITARY ACTIONS AFFECTED CITIZEN SECURITY DURING PLAN COLOMBIA Graydon Muller Major, United States Air Force B.S., University of Washington, 2002 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN SECURITY STUDIES (WESTERN HEMISPHERE) from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL June 2015 Author: Graydon Muller Approved by: Thomas C. Bruneau Thesis Advisor Maiah Jaskoski Second Reader Mohammed M. Hafez Chair, Department of National Security Affairs iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT This thesis examines the effects on citizen security caused by the Colombian military’s actions during Plan Colombia and its successor plans. Military actions are often evaluated according to their effect on state security, but the concern of this thesis is whether or not the advantages of military security actions outweighed the costs for Colombian citizens. The military benefited citizens by weakening the insurgency and increasing state presence across Colombia’s territory, but the military’s involvement also incurred costs, including human rights abuses and large numbers of internally displaced persons. Considerable disagreement exists over the final value of the military’s involvement, as it does over many aspects of Plan Colombia. This thesis seeks to add some clarity to the debate, with a focus on military operations’ effects on civilians’ lives, while also asking what the Colombian experience can teach the United States (and other countries) about counterinsurgency. Overall, this thesis finds that the use of the Colombian military during Plan Colombia improved citizen security, and furthermore that the United States played a positive role in this outcome. v THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vi TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1 A. LITERATURE REVIEW ...............................................................................2 B. POTENTIAL EXPLANATIONS AND HYPOTHESES .............................7 C. RESEARCH DESIGN .....................................................................................9 D. THESIS OVERVIEW .....................................................................................9 II. THE MILITARY AND IMPROVED CITIZEN SECURITY DURING PLAN COLOMBIA ...............................................................................................................11 A. CITIZEN SECURITY DEFINED ................................................................11 B. MAJOR SOURCES OF INSECURITY ......................................................12 C. THE MILITARY’S ROLE IN COMBATING INSECURITY .................20 D. IMPROVEMENTS IN CITIZEN SECURITY ...........................................22 E. CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................30 III. CRITIQUES OF THE ARGUMENT THAT THE MILITARY IMPROVED CITIZEN SECURITY ...............................................................................................33 A. LOCAL VERSUS NATIONAL DATA ........................................................33 B. SOME SECURITY LOSSES DURING PLAN COLOMBIA ...................39 C. PLAN COLOMBIA AS A TOOL OF THE ELITE ...................................42 D. CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................48 IV. U.S. MILITARY INVOLVEMENT AND COLOMBIA AS A SOURCE OF LESSONS FOR OTHER STATES ..........................................................................49 A. BUILDING PARTNER CAPACITY ...........................................................49 B. COLOMBIA AS A CASE STUDY ...............................................................53 C. THE EFFECTS OF U.S. CAPACITY-BUILDING IN COLOMBIA .......56 V. CONCLUSION ..........................................................................................................61 LIST OF REFERENCES ......................................................................................................65 INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST .........................................................................................75 vii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK viii LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AUC Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (United Self Defense Forces of Colombia) CERAC Centro de Recursos para el Análisis de Conflictos (Resource Center for Conflict Analysis) CINEPP/PPP Centro de Investigación y Educación Popular—Programa por la Paz (Center for Investigation and Popular Education—Program for Peace) CODHES Consultoría para los Derechos Humanos y el Desplazamiento (Consultancy for Human Rights and Displacement) ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean ELN Ejército de Liberación Nacional (National Liberation Army) FARC Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) UNDP United Nation’s Development Programme USAID United States Agency for International Development USSOCOM United States Special Operations Command ix THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my advisors, Professor Bruneau and Professor Jaskoski, for their insightful and timely feedback throughout the long writing process. Both worked hard to guide me in writing a logical, meaningful thesis, and both were very responsive to all my requests. From beginning to end I was extremely fortunate to have these two advising me. I hope I have produced a work that reflects well upon their efforts, but any mistakes or shortcomings in this thesis are my own. I would also like to thank all my professors at NPS for making my time at the school interesting, educational, and enjoyable. Extra