From Coke to Cops: Colombia’s Journey from Internal Conflict to Regional Security Exporter

SPEAKERS: Markus-Michael Müller, Roskilde University

Markus Hochmüller, Freie Universität Berlin & University of Oxford

DISCUSSANT: Abbey Steele, UvA

DATE: 11 April 2025

ACTIVITY: CEDLA LECTURE

This talk examines Colombia’s transformation into a regional security exporter under the United States-Colombia Action Plan on Regional Security (USCAP). Signed in 2012 by Presidents Barack Obama and Juan Manuel Santos in Cartagena, USCAP aimed to strengthen Latin America’s security forces by positioning Colombia—a country long perceived as fragile and a source of regional instability—as a model of a professional and adaptable security provider. Over the past decade, the Colombian Armed Forces and National Police have trained tens of thousands of security personnel across the region, shaping a new narrative of Colombia’s role in regional security.

Drawing on original research, including over 70 interviews with policymakers, military and police officers, diplomats, and security advisors, the presentation explores how Colombia’s security assistance—focused on counter-narcotics, counterinsurgency, and migration control—prioritizes stability, pacification, and national security, often at the expense of citizen safety.