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Democracy in Colombia: Clientelistic Politics and Guerrilla Warfare

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Jorge P. Osterling writes a comprehensive and thoughtful book. Moreover, "Democracy in Colombia: Clientelist Politics and Guerrilla Warfare" is essential reading in order to decipher the complexities of Colombia's democracy.

Osterling explains that Colombia differs from other hemispheric nations in that it is a country of semi-autonomous regions, each with its own cultural, economic, political, and social structure. Bogota, the nation's capital is the administrative center of Colombia but its citizens are quite different from those in Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cucuta, Manizales, and Pereira, according to Osterling. This simple observation is key to understanding Colombia's regional rivalries.

Still and all, the author's major point is that inequalities in income distribution is a significant socio-economic problem. Osterling points out that, "A small, privileged minority controls a disproportionate percentage of the national resources and uses them for their own benefit, while a larger, less privileged majority lives under tighter budgets." Finally, Osterling warns, "In theory all Colombian nationals are equal before the law; however, in practice, there are sizable inequalities of access to effective enforcement of civil, economic, political, and social rights."

Osterling is an outstanding scholar. This 1989 publication identifies key fundamentals that haunt Colombia today.

Bert Ruiz