Beyond the “weakness of the state”: Canada’s intervention in post-agreement Colombia
| Author | Marc-André Anzueto,Etienne Roy Grégoire,Philippe Dufort |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00207020221135370 |
| Published date | 01 June 2022 |
| Date | 01 June 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Scholarly Essay |
Scholarly Essay
International Journal
2022, Vol. 77(2) 248–269
© The Author(s) 2022
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DOI: 10.1177/00207020221135370
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Beyond the “weakness of the
state”: Canada’s intervention
in post-agreement Colombia
Marc-Andr ´
e Anzueto
Universit´
eduQu
´
ebec en Outaouais, Gatineau, QC, Canada
Etienne Roy Gr´
egoire
Universit´
eduQu
´
ebec `
a Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, QC, Canada
Philippe Dufort
Saint Paul University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Abstract
During the 2021 mass protests in Colombia, and while international calls for the
Colombian government to respect human rights were intensifying, Canada’sposition
remained somewhat ambiguous. Part of Canada’s ambiguity can be explained by a
simplistic characterization of Colombia as a “weak state.”This article assesses Canada’s
bilateralrelationship by historizing the developmentof Colombia’s governancein the key
overlapping sectors of security, human rights, and natural resources. From extensive
fieldwork, we distinguish two competing rationalities based on the articulation of the
notions of “conflict”and “dissent”with the notion of t he “rule of law.”We believe that
Canada’s bilateral relation with Colombia in the last decades has overlooked the
contradictions that exist between democratizing rationalities and antipolitical rational-
ities. As a result, Canada’s foreign policy has been based on an overly simplistic con-
ception of the relationship between development, security, and the rule of law.
Keywords
business and human rights, Colombia, Canada, rule of law, cooperation,
counterinsurgency, transitional justice, extractivism, democracy
Corresponding author:
Marc-Andr´
e Anzueto, Department of Social Sciences, University of Qu´
ebec in Outaouais, 283 boulevard
Alexandre Tach´
e, bureau C-3336, Gatineau, QC J8X 3X7, Canada
Email: marc-andre.anzueto@uqo.ca
On 28 April 2021, a national strike began in Colombia. In the context of an ongoing
citizens were initially protesting President Iv´
an Duque’s tax reform plan. Serious
human rights abuses were committed by Colombian security forces against protesters,
with reports of forced disappearances, gender-based violence, and ethnic-racial vio-
lence in several Colombian cities.
1
As international calls for the Colombian gov-
ernment to respect human rights were growing more persistent, Canada’s position
remained somewhat ambiguous. In his only statement on the situation on May 9, the
Canadian minister of foreign affairs, the Honourable Marc Garneau, expressed concern
for “the disproportionate use of force by security forces,”but tempered his remarks by
condemning “acts of vandalism and attacks directed against public officials.”
2
This
tepid stance attracted criticism and raised questions regarding Canada’s foreign policy
objectives in Colombia.
3
At least part of the ambiguity in Canada’s response can be explained by its overly
simplistic characterization of Colombia as a State to be “strengthened.”Indeed, while
the academic fascination with defining “weak”or “failed”States has waned, these
concepts are still used with regards to Colombia,
4
and remain widely operational in
international policy discourse.
5
Notwithstanding the varied and sometimes contra-
dictory definitions, policies are routinely justified by “fragile state”narratives aimed at
“strengthening”different aspects of a nation’s governance and institutions.
1. “Observations and recommendations: Working visit to Colombia,”Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights, June 2021, https://www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/pdfs/ObservacionesVi sita_CIDH_
Colombia_ENG.pdf (accessed 27 April 2022).
2. The Hon. Marc Garneau, “Canada concerned about persistent violence in Colombia,”Global Affairs
Canada, 9 May 2021, https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2021/05/canada-concerned-about-
persistent-violence-in-colombia.html (accessed 27 April 2022).
3. Christopher Campbell-Durufl´
e and Leila Celis, “With international pressure mounting on the Colombian
government, Canada stands at a crossroads,”The Conversation, 14 July 2021, https://theconversation.com/
with-international-pressure-mounting-on-the-colombian-government-canada-stands-at-a-crossroads-163042
(accessed 27 April 2022).
4. A decade ago, the Colombian State was described in the literature as “weak”as a result of corruption,war,
and neoliberalism (Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power,
Prosperityand Poverty[New York: Crown Business, 2012], 70–123; the same concept has been employed
with reference to the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement (Angelika Rettberg, “Peace-making
amidst an unfinished social contract: The case of Colombia,”Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding,
14, no. 1 [2020]: 92).
5.DavidCarmentandYiagadeesenSamy,Exiting the Fragility Trap: Rethinking our Approach to the
Wor ld’s Most Fragile States (Athens: Ohio University Press, 2019), 246.
Anzueto et al. 249
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