Colombia: A Brutal History

Geoff Simons examines the state of Colombia, from the time of the conquistadors until the 2002 election and the repercussions of the "War on Terrorism". This account of drug barons, labor struggles, corporate exploitation, self-destructive civil war, cynical elites, hardened guerrillas, paramilitary death squads and an astonishing death and displacement toll remind us that the story of Colombia is chronically overlooked, but ranks amongst the world's most urgent political narratives--all the more so in light of the Colombian people themselves, whose spirit, though pushed to extremes, remains unbroken.
Colombia is a state that has not known one day of peace since its inception. From the time of the Spanish conquistadors up to its recent bloody and brutal elections, the Colombian people have endured immense suffering. The brutal history of this nation is one of the world's most urgent political narratives - a story of violent drug cartels, corporate exploitation, foreign interference, paramilitary death squads and civil war - yet it has remained chronically under-told.

While such a catalogue of misery would be tragic in the case of any country, it is all the more so in light of Colombia's great potential as the fifth-largest economy in Latin America. In researching and writing this honest and searing report, Simons does justice to a people whose verve and spirit, though pushed to extremes, remain unbroken.

Geoff Simons has written extensively on world politics. In addition to the acclaimed Targeting Iraq (2002) and Future Iraq (2003) - both published by Saqi - he is the author of many other books including Libya: The Struggle for Survival; Saudi Arabia: The Shape of a Client Feudalism and The Scourging of Iraq: Sanctions, Law and Natural Justice. His books have been translated into many languages, including Arabic, Korean, Russian and Japanese. He frequently makes appearances on major international news networks.