The Dual Function of Violence in Civil Wars: The Case of Colombia

When considering both the economic and military dimensions of civil war it is clear that the violence of belligerents has the dual instrumental function of extracting resources and increasing control. Recently developed datasets of geo-localized violent events–such as the ACLED or the SCAD database–open new pathways for explaining strategic dynamics within conflicts. This article underlines how this task can be achieved through qualitative analyses of patterns in belligerents’ modes of operation and statistical analyses of violent incidents and macro-economic variables.