This controversial book maintains that in Colombia the US has long supported a pervasive campaign of state violence directed against both armed insurgents and a wide range of unarmed progressive social forces. While the context may change from one decade to the next, the basic policies remain the same: maintain the pro-US Colombian state, protect US economic interests and preserve strategic access to oil. Colombia is now the third largest recipient of US military aid in the world, and the largest by far in Latin America. Using extensive declassified documents, this book shows that the so-called "war on drugs", and now the new war on terror in Colombia are actually part of a long-term Colombian "war of state terror" that predates the end of the Cold War with US policy contributing directly to the human rights situation in Colombia today.

'This study provides a uniquely perceptive analysis of the tragic situation in Columbia, and its far-reaching implications for understanding the past and the evolving global order.'
Noam Chomsky 

'For those looking for reassurance this is not the book for them: for those however seeking to peel back the layers of officialese and get to the heart of things, this is a must read.'
Michael Cox, London School of Economics

'A well-researched and impeccably documented exposé of USA duplicity and intervention in Colombia. This book fills a critical gap in the literature on Colombia and on post-Cold War inter-American relations.'
William I. Robinson, University of California-Santa Barbara

'Stokes's book represents a valuable and up-to-date survey of US support for counter-insurgency in Colombia.'
Luis van Isschot, The International History Review

Doug Stokes is a lecturer in International Politics at the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth, University of Wales.