Weapons of the weakened, but not wiped out: insurgent adaptability through life histories
2026-03-03
How did the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) survive the Colombian state counterinsurgency campaign? This article introduces the concept of counterinsurgency at work as a dynamic that captures the interaction between the practices of the adaptation strategies deployed by the FARC-EP, specifically increased mobility and quarantine, and the Colombian state counterinsurgency efforts from the late 1990s to the 2010s. I argue that the FARC-EP deployed adaptation strategies in response to a modernized Colombian military apparatus by repurposing and incorporating new roles, practices, and rules, which nonetheless had multiple, contradictory effects on this group's inner workings. Evidence from life histories with former FARC-EP combatants and retired personnel from the Colombian armed forces demonstrates this interplay. Life histories with ex-combatants shed light on how increased mobility and quarantine played out in the everyday with contradictory effects. For instance, while both created bonding and readiness, they disrupted socialization institutions and fractured ties with the local population. Retired military personnel's life histories show the different counterinsurgency strategies the Colombian state simultaneously deployed against the FARC-EP, prompting its adaptation capabilities. This article contributes to ongoing discussions on the transformations of armed organizations during the war. It also advances insurgent adaptability scholarship by examining the life histories of participants from both sides of the Colombian armed conflict.