The Andean Regional Conflict

A Low-Intensity War

Abstract

This article examines the regionalization of the Colombian armed conflict and its implications for security in the Andean region. It argues that the Democratic Security and Defense Policy promoted by the government of Álvaro Uribe, with strategic support from the United States, contributed to the cross-border expansion of Colombia's internal conflict, generating diplomatic, military, and political tensions among neighboring countries. The author analyzes the Colombian military incursion into Ecuadorian territory as an expression of the internationalization of the armed confrontation and as a destabilizing factor for regional security. The article also questions the use of anti-terrorist and anti-drug discourses to legitimize counterinsurgency policies and to expand U.S. military cooperation in the Andean area. Finally, it examines the response of multilateral organizations such as the Organization of American States and the Rio Group, highlighting their limitations in addressing the crisis and ensuring effective conflict-prevention mechanisms. The study concludes by underscoring the need to strengthen multilateral frameworks of cooperation, mutual trust, and regional security in order to preserve state sovereignty and prevent the consolidation of a permanent process of militarization.